Jalen Hurts made NFL history in April 2023 when he signed a five‑year, $255 million extension with a record $51 million per year and $179 million guaranteed. This groundbreaking deal instantly turned him into the highest-paid player in league history at the time.
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Behind the scenes, however, Hurts’ path to the top of the NFL’s financial food chain wasn’t marked by flashy negotiations, holdouts, or headline-grabbing demands. In fact, the Eagles quarterback didn’t even know the minute details of the negotiations until his agent told him about his new deal.
Hurts’ agent and President of Football at Klutch Sports, Nicole Lynn, recently appeared on SproutED’s YouTube channel, where she shared that rather than micromanaging every step, Hurts gave her full autonomy. He had trusted her to secure a good-enough contract without his constant involvement — something the agent termed “rare.”
“Jalen is just such a selfless guy. I mean, he was adamant about whatever deal… he told me to do the deal. He didn’t want any updates until it was done, which is very rare… You have a lot of clients that are like, ‘Give me every update. What’s the counter?’ He’s like, ‘I don’t want to hear anything. Just tell me when it’s done,’” said Lynn.
Hurts’ agent then revealed that the only concern the quarterback had about his new contract was how it would affect his team.
Hurts wanted to protect the people around him — coaches, staff, and players — whom he saw as instrumental to the Eagles’ success. “And he’s like, ‘Don’t screw the team. Make sure my team is around me,’” revealed Lynn.
On the day the deal was finalized, Nicole recalled delivering the news and watching Hurts take it in. “I said, ‘Hey, you’re the highest‑paid player in NFL history,’ and his response was, ‘Well, I didn’t ask you to do all that.’”
Far from boasting, the Eagles talisman simply brushed aside the personal milestone, his focus firmly on the collective well‑being. Naturally, Lynn admitted that she was taken aback by her client’s reaction: “I thought you were going to say, thank you. Good job.”
When Eagles QB Jalen Hurts stated
“Money is nice, Championships are better.”
It was not hyperbole.
He even surprised his agent, Nicole Lynn @AgentNicoleLynn pic.twitter.com/iOcMf5BtSH— David (@PHLEagleNews) June 14, 2025
But what truly struck her was Hurts’ concern for the entire Eagles organization:
“He was so concerned about his team… ‘How am I going to keep my team around? Are these guys still going to be paid?’ And he wanted me to show him—how does it affect the cap?”
With that said, when Hurts’ agent told him about the structure of his contract, including option bonuses, he found peace with the deal: “Hey, don’t worry that you’re getting $51 million a year… it doesn’t affect the cap. The cap hit is not that large.”
In a sports world built on minicamp holdouts and headline-grabbing deals, Hurts’ negotiation stands out precisely because it wasn’t about him. It was rare, centred on trust, humility, and collective success — values you don’t see every day at this price tag.
Now, with quarterbacks like Dak Prescott ($60 million), Joe Burrow and Josh Allen ($55 million), and several others in the $ 50 million+ club, Hurts’ deal may no longer top the charts. But the philosophy behind it remains just as powerful.
Because it shows how athlete empowerment isn’t just about numbers; it can also be built on character, humility, and leadership.
