Jalen Hurts keeps finding himself in the middle of the same NFL argument: how much credit does he deserve, and where does he really belong among the league’s quarterbacks?
CBS Sports writer Bryan DeArdo landed on the side of respect, placing the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback in Tier 2 among NFL passers in “Borderline Stars,” a group that included 12 others. DeArdo also made the case that Hurts is still being overlooked despite what’s already on his résumé.
"Hurts, despite his status as a Super Bowl MVP (along with being the linchpin behind one of the most successful albeit controversial plays in NFL history), is seldom mentioned among the game's elite quarterbacks. That would have to change, however, if Hurts brings the Eagles back to the big game with a new receiving corps that no longer includes A.J. Brown."
That debate comes with some real context from Hurts’ 2025 season. He completed 64% of his passes, threw for under 200 yards in multiple games, and had two outings in which he didn’t complete a single pass in the second half. Oddly enough, the Eagles won both of those games.
Even with the uneven stretches, Hurts still guided Philadelphia to the postseason for the fifth straight season. He finished with a career-high 25 touchdown passes, earned his third Pro Bowl selection, and helped the Eagles capture the NFC East title for the second year in a row.
There’s been a tendency to paint last season as a disaster for Hurts, but the numbers and results tell a different story. He had his issues, sure, but he took care of the football and, more often than not, kept from being the reason the Eagles came up short.
DeArdo put only five quarterbacks in his top tier of elite players, so leaving Hurts out of that group is understandable for now. But inside the top 10? Hurts has made a strong enough case there through winning, athleticism, and ball security.
The bigger question now is whether 2026 becomes the year he quiets the doubters for good. With A.J. Brown no longer in the picture, Hurts has a chance to show just how far he can carry the Eagles on another playoff push.
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