Craig Carton rules out Jalen Hurts' Eagles chances to replicate last season's success
Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles are one of the biggest favorites for the 2023 season. As they recover from a disappointing end after a close Super Bowl loss, the team has become even stronger with some of their draft picks and is the leading team in the NFC before the start of the season.
Not everyone is on board with their Super Bowl aspirations, though. Fox Sports analyst Craig Carton believes that the Eagles will have a long road to success given their strength of schedule:
"14-3 is very, very hard to do. By the way, in the second half of the season, they have the Chiefs, they have the Bills, the 49ers and the Cowboys twice. And you have the Giants twice. Yeah, they do have two byes, the Cardinals and the bye week. But if you just look at the final eight games - Kansas City, Buffalo, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle. I mean, they've got one win there that you can guarantee and lock it. That's against the Cardinals. They will win in Week 17. I know they blew the Giants out last year all three times they played them, but that's a tough schedule. They're not going 14-3."
Jalen Hurts contract extension: How much will Eagles quarterback earn in his second contract?
Jalen Hurts received a five-year contract extension with a total value of $255 million, which makes him the highest-paid player in history. Approximately $180 million are guaranteed, amounting to around 70% of the contract.
In addition, for the first time in the Philadelphia Eagles' history, a player will have the “no-trade clause”, meaning Hurts can veto being traded if he wants to. Obviously, at this point, there's no reason as to why Howie Roseman would ever consider dealing him.
It's a testament to the board's confidence in their franchise quarterback, who has led them to two straight playoff appearances and a conference championship. The way Jalen Hurts took command of the team after the whole Carson Wentz debacle was marvelous, and he seems set to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for a whole decade.