“A black man is the highest-paid player in the NFL” - Shannon Sharpe celebrates Jalen Hurts’ $255M deal
Jalen Hurts is now the highest-paid player in NFL history after signing a five-year contract extension worth $255 million. The Eagles have locked up their franchise quarterback after Hurts led the team to the Super Bowl in February. When asked about the massive deal, Shannon Sharpe spoke on the matter from a different perspective.
Sharpe commented on the significance of the deal while reflecting on Hurts and Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes:
"A black man is the highest-paid player in the NFL, but I'm old enough to remember, I remember Marlin Briscoe, who was the first Black to start a professional game played for my Broncos in 1968."
"We just had something great happened in the Super Bowl. Two Blacks started: Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes. We've had black quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl and win Super Bowl MVP."
“It’s good to see a Black man whether for a week or a month be the highest-paid player in the NFL.”
— @ShannonSharpe on Jalen Hurts signing a 5yr/$255M extension https://t.co/IQY21CqaZI
Jalen Hurts' contract also includes $179.3 million guaranteed and will make $51 million in 2024. The contract also has a no-trade clause. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
The former Sooners star started four games in his rookie season as Carson Wentz was the clear starter under center for the franchise. In his second season, Hurts saw more of the field as Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in March 2021.
Hurts started 15 games in his first full season as the Eagles' starting quarterback, being a force with both his arm and his legs. He threw for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while rushing for 784 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Highest average per year contract in NFL history:
1) #Eagles Jalen Hurts - $51M
2) #Packers Aaron Rodgers - $50.3M
3) #Broncos Russell Wilson - $49M
4) #Cardinals Kyler Murray - $46.1M https://t.co/gQNFJB5jYC
In his third season, Hurts finished second in the NFL MVP voting as he threw for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions. The 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up also ran for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.
Jalen Hurts played well in the Super Bowl versus the Kansas City Chiefs in February, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown and rushing for three more. Despite the loss in the game, he proved why the Eagles invested in him.
Who was the mastermind behind Jalen Hurts' huge contract extension?
The agent behind Hurts' history-making contract extension is Nicole Lynn, the quarterback's longtime agent. Lynn took to Instagram to share her excitement about Hurts' contract extension:
"So happy for my little bro @jalenhurts on becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history! Thank you for trusting me with something of this magnitude. I remember sitting in your old high school interviewing to be your agent. I am a dreamer, but I’m not sure I could have ever imagined THIS is where we land."
She's currently the President of Football for Klutch Sports Group. In 2015, Lynn was the first female to join PlayersRep, one of the foremost sports agencies in the NFL. At 26, she signed her first client and the rest was history. When Hurts was drafted, she became the first black woman to represent an NFL draft pick.