From making playoff appearances every single year since 2021 to winning the NFC East title twice since 2022, the Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL in recent history. While their talisman, Jalen Hurts, never really got his flowers for being the driving force behind this consistency, many thought that narrative would change after Philly’s Super Bowl win earlier this year. But no.
Advertisement
Despite a stellar season capped off with a Super Bowl MVP award, Hurts was shockingly ranked ninth on ESPN’s latest Top 10 Quarterbacks for 2025 — a list compiled by over 70 NFL executives, coaches, and scouts.
While the top four slots were locked in by the usual suspects like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson, it was rookie phenom Jayden Daniels who completed the top five. And Hurts, a proven winner with both playoff consistency and Super Bowl credentials, found himself behind players with far less postseason success.
Naturally, for many, this snub didn’t sit right. And at the forefront of that group was former NFL offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Willie Colon.
“For some reason, we forget one stat and that’s winning,” Colon began emphatically on ESPN’s Good Morning Football. “He’s a winner. Bottom line.”
To make his point clearer, the former Super Bowl champ pointed to Hurts’ unreal dominance against other top-tier QBs: “Burrow, Lamar, Allen, he’s 8-2 against those big boys.” This record isn’t just respectable, it’s elite. And as Colon reminded viewers, Hurts hasn’t just been along for the ride in big games, for he’s also been the engine.
This was evidenced in the Super Bowl win this year, where the original game plan was to let Saquon Barkley pull the weight, but that fell through. So, the team “put that whole game on Jalen Hurts’ shoulders and his arm, and he delivered.”
Even when Hurts is pitted head-to-head against Patrick Mahomes, widely considered the league’s gold standard, Colon noted that the Eagles’ talisman still manages to come out on top. “He outplayed him the first time [Super Bowl LVII]. He beat him the second time. And outplayed him again,” said the analyst.
“He’s the best quarterback in @Eagles history”
Do you agree with @willcolon66‘s take on Jalen Hurts? pic.twitter.com/6dleonpRmR
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) July 15, 2025
Considering all this, Colon wasn’t afraid to ask the question that everyone has on their minds: Why do we keep moving the goalposts when it comes to Jalen Hurts?
“He has the numbers in the regular season. He has the numbers in the playoffs. He delivers time after time in big moments,” added the former Steeler.
While others often highlight Mahomes’ QBR, Allen’s arm, or Burrow’s efficiency and Jackson’s dual-threat abilities as the reason for Jalen Hurts being underappreciated, Colon distilled it all to the metric that matters most: wins. “When you talk about Josh Allen, he couldn’t beat Joe Burrow. Lamar Jackson — couldn’t get it done against Buffalo. [But] One guy walked around and beat Mahomes — that was Jalen Hurts.”
And after mountain loads of cases and praises for Jalen Hurts, the former NFL guard dropped his biggest statement yet: “He’s the best quarterback in Eagles history… and he’s a top-five quarterback in the NFL,” — A strong endorsement, especially considering Colon noted he’s “a fan of Michael Vick and everybody else.”
And when you look at Hurts’ resume — Super Bowl winner, postseason dominance, consistent clutch play — it’s hard to argue otherwise. Because all this guy does is win, something only Patrick Mahomes can relate to in the NFL today.