“He did not play great football”: Chris Simms doubles down on ranking Jalen Hurts below Baker Mayfield
Chris Simms has some doubts about Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts. On Monday, the NBC analyst's partial list of top 10 QBs in the NFL was released, and he had Hurts ranked No. 10. This was despite Hurts leading the Eagles to victory in Super Bowl LIX, where he was named the Super Bowl MVP for his contributions on the field.
Thursday's episode of "NFL on NBC" started with Mike Florio making a comment:
"Bakyer Mayfield in the top 10. Jalen Hurts all the way down at No.10. Oh that will not p*ss off anyone in Philadelphia."
Simms explained why he had the Eagles quarterback below players like Baker Mayfield, who was No.9.
"People think I don't like him (Hurts), and I want to say no, that's not about it... I have so much respect for Jalen Hurts in so many areas, for things he's done, and he's a damn good player..."
"But he did not play great football last year. He did not. I think a little bit of revisionist history is happening. Yes, the NFC Championship game, the Super Bowl were very good.
"But he was being booed a lot by his own fan base. The No.1 receiver was telling you that the passing offense was the No.1 issue with the football team. That's not top 5 quarterback type of stuff." (Timestamp- 0:30)
During the 2024 regular season, Hurts tallied a total of 2,903 yards and 18 TDs. However, he also threw five interceptions and was sacked 38 times. On the other hand, Baker Mayfield helped the Bucs to the Wild Card round of the playoffs while recording 4,500 yards with 41 TDs and 16 interceptions.
Jalen Hurts heaps praise on Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni
In just four seasons, Nick Sirianni has led the Eagles to two Super Bowls, winning one of them. In May, the team finalized a multi-year contract extension with Sirianni, keeping him with the franchise long-term.
After signing the new deal, Jalen Hurts came forward to share his thoughts on the Eagles' coach. The quarterback had nothing but praise for Sirianni:
"First and foremost, congratulations to him. Everything he's achieved and accomplished, he's earned. To see his evolution and growth playing QB for him, it's been a great experience, a great ride," Hurts said. "And hopefully, we're just getting started."
In April 2023, Jalen Hurts agreed to a five-year deal worth $255 million. With that deal, he became the first player in the franchise's history to have a no-trade clause in his contract.