Despite winning a Super Bowl and making his second Big Game appearance in just three seasons, Jalen Hurts continues to be a lightning rod for criticism. He was recently ranked 9th on a list of top quarterbacks heading into 2025, and somehow, the doubters are still as loud as ever. Even Nick Sirianni has started brushing off the noise. “I think that’s bulls***,” he said when asked if his QB is “supporting-cast merchant.”
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For years now, Hurts has been underappreciated as an NFL quarterback. It’s mainly because he isn’t a pure passer with elite arm talent. Hurts can make a lot of throws, but there are some that he hasn’t mastered. And when compared to other quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen, those inadequacies are noticeable.
However, Hurts has something that those last two quarterbacks don’t, and that’s a Super Bowl ring. So, why isn’t he taken more seriously as one of the best quarterbacks in the game? Well, to Shannon Sharpe, it’s simple, really. It’s because of Hurts’ outstanding supporting cast.
“Look, if I like you, I’ll make a case for you. They held it against Terry Bradshaw. Nobody’s ever said Terry Bradshaw was the best, because why?” Sharpe asked facetiously on his show Nightcap.
Then the former tight end answered his own question, “He had the best offensive line; he had a Hall of Fame center. He had 2 Hall of Fame receivers. Had a Hall of Fame running back, and he had 5 or 6 Hall of Famers on the defensive side of the football.”
Bradshaw won 4 Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. Although his stats never jumped off the page. He regularly threw upwards of 20 interceptions, and got away with it because of the legendary Pittsburgh defense.
Even though Bradshaw won the MVP in 1978, it’s viewed as one of the most controversial awards in league history, with many arguing that rookie running back Earl Campbell was the rightful recipient.
It remains to be seen if Hurts will have a similar career path. He indeed has a stacked roster to work with, like Bradshaw. But he also takes much better care of the ball and has legs that the Hall of Famer wished he had. We’d argue that Hurts has the potential to be better than the Pittsburgh legend if all remains the same.
Chad Johnson on Hurts
It wasn’t just Sharpe who had stuff to say about Hurts. His co-host, Chad Johnson, argued that he doesn’t get as much love as he should because he doesn’t play with a flashy style.
“Because the game is not pretty, he’s not throwing for 300, 400 yards every game. They don’t drop back and throw the ball 100 million times. They don’t have to,” Johnson shared.
It’s certainly true. The “Tush Push” is what Hurts and the Eagles have become known for. It’s also one of the most annoying and boring plays to watch if you’re an opposing team or fan. Annoying because it works over 95% of the time, and boring because it’s a literal quarterback sneak. Nobody watches the NFL to watch a quarterback fall forward for 2-3 yards.
At the end of the day, though, Hurts is just taking what the defense is giving him. There are very few in the game better than him at that skill. He can hit an open receiver or run if everyone is covered. He can also run it himself on the read option, or he can pitch it to Saquon Barkley for a big gain.
He seemingly always makes the right decisions, and that’s why he has a ring. As much as the haters want to denounce him, they might just need to come around to the idea that “Love Hurts.”