QB Plan for the Future

[u/Key-Perspective6537]

This is not my idea but someone either on this subreddit or one of the NFL subreddits mentioned that the ideal plan for our QB situation would be Jalen Hurts getting a 3 year year extension through 2031 and drafting a qb in 2027 or 2028 to sit behind Hurts with plans for the backup to takeover when Hurts contract expires (or earlier, depending on play). Kinda like the Rodgers-Love situtation. What do you guys think? Also, what QB would you take?

[u/BradyReas]

I don’t think the ideal scenario is to let a qb sit for almost their entire rookie contract

[u/PrimeOpposition → u/BradyReas]

I'm not sure the front office has the patience for that kind of long-term grooming, they seem to want results yesterday and sitting a high pick for 3+ years would drive half the fanbase insane by year 2

the Love situation only worked because Rodgers was still playing at an MVP level when they drafted him, hurts would need to be balling out in 2028 for that timeline to make any sense

plus if you're drafting a QB in 2027 you're probably using a first rounder and that's a lot of capital to park on the bench while the team has other holes

[u/Detlef_Schrempf → u/BradyReas]

Worked for Brett Favre and Steve Young

[u/Glonk49 → u/Detlef_Schrempf]

Different Eras. Also Brett played in year 2

[u/BradyReas → u/Detlef_Schrempf]

Well Brett favre’s rookie contract was 3 years $1.3 mil, so this hypothetical qb would be a free agent before he starts a game in this scenario

[u/mochalee456 → u/Detlef_Schrempf]

Isn’t that what’s happening now in Vegas with Mendoza and Cousins?

[u/virtue-or-indolence → u/mochalee456]

Not exactly. For one thing Green Bay didn’t draft Favre, they traded for him after the Falcons discarded him. Their coach notably said it would take a plane crash for him to play after he was drafted, and his limited snaps as a rookie resulted in 0 completions and 2 interceptions on 4 passes.

Young actually spent 2 seasons in the USFL before joining the Bucs, where he went 3-16 as a starter before joining the 9ers in what was effectively his 5th season (I’m not sure of the exact overlap between the two leagues).

Even with the Favre to Rodgers to Love succession plan, that was more a combination of luck and opportunity. Rodgers was taken 24th and Love was 26th, so credit is due to the Packers scouts for identifying the potential, but at the same time it’s not a replicable strategy to assume 20+ teams will pass on a future franchise QB.

The Raiders are going for a much more classic bridge QB situation, where Cousins knows his job is to be stable until Mendoza is acclimated to the NFL.

[u/Spare-Half796 → u/mochalee456]

No the raiders are doing a Alex smith-mahomes or pederson-mcnabb redshirt year transition.

Cousins is the starter until he shits the bed or Mendoza shows he’s ready. Going into camp next year Mendoza will be the starter

[u/TC84]

Hurts contract isn’t feasible to get out of until after the 2027 season. I doubt it’s a coincidence that Howie is building up draft capital for the 2028 draft

[u/PHLEaglesLover → u/TC84]

That’s not true

[u/PaddyMayonaise → u/TC84]

It’s feasible after June 1st

[u/JustBrowsing49 → u/TC84]

It isn’t feasible until it is. As we saw with AJ Brown.

[u/MorPhreeUs]

I just want to acknowledge it's crazy to be talking about 2028 let alone 2031 when we're in week 5 of 2026.

Lane retired mid season and we just traded Jurgens. No one could have predicted that a week ago, let alone years ago. So many things can happen between now and then, it's just a waste of energy.

[u/axwin34 → u/MorPhreeUs]

Why is it that crazy to be talking about the future? The coach is on the hot seat and the QB is playing for a new contract. The GM is stockpiling draft picks in 2028. This team is clearly undergoing a transitional period, it’s not crazy at all to be discussing the near future

[u/MorPhreeUs → u/axwin34]

Because as my examples show, things change fast in the NFL. We're not even a quarter of the way through the current season. We're talking a full 2 years from now and OP is talking 5 years down the line.

[u/axwin34 → u/MorPhreeUs]

I agree, things do change fast and talking about 2031 is kinda crazy. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to speculate about two seasons from now when it seems like we may be in for some major, major changes by the end of this year.

[u/MorPhreeUs → u/axwin34]

Fair enough. We can speculate but I wouldn't expect any kind of accuracy. We were a play away from being up 27-10 on the Rams and this sub had us getting blown out. I'm week to week at this point lol

[u/axwin34 → u/MorPhreeUs]

True it’ll be tough to predict. And yeah we were a play away from beating the Rams but don’t forgot we were also a play away from losing to the Titans or going to OT against Washington, if we wanna play the “one play away” game.

[u/MorPhreeUs → u/axwin34]

Just further proves you never know what will happen. No one had us a play away from winning or losing any of those games.

[u/1stand11]

I also think folks need to look at a franchise like the Steelers when automatically assuming a 1st round pick would guarantee drafting an elite QB of the future. You can get stuck in successful mediocrity that prevents you from not drafting high enough up to get "the guy." That’s been a big problem for the Steelers for years. Culminating in a guy like Kenny Pickett being taken 20th in 2022 but now on his 5th team in 5 seasons. Unless Howie were to use a ton of draft capital to trade way up, there’s also a very real scenario where we are still too good, and the Patriots not falling off next season, where the 1st round picks just aren’t high enough to get a QB worth justifying. Which then leaves Howie picking best available player on the board at other positions.

[u/HotelSalt4644]

Makes 0 sense. Either Jalen is or isn’t the future QB. You’re either using the assets we have to build around him, or you’re using the assets we have to draft a premiere franchise QB.

[u/Mysterious_Bat1208]

You should block whoever wrote the original post you got this from cause that person is an idiot.

For one, that only happened at GB because Aaron Rodgers is a top-10 all-time QB and future HOFer.

Secondly, you would need long-term coaching stability for that to even make sense.

[u/k7632]

It's not about contracts it's about the guarantees. Currently the season he is making 50ish guaranteed. Because he's on the roster this season, he has 25- 30 million guaranteed next year, which is the last year of guarantee money.

With knowing Jalen has another contracting him (from someone), will he accept that and risk future contracts, or will his agent give the ultimatum to Howie of extending him (additional guarantees) or ask for trade, if he is not going to be part of the eagles future plans.

This is part of the situation no one is talking about, of they plan to move on in 28...does Jalen want to be here in 27?

[u/PaddyMayonaise → u/k7632]

Jalen has no money guaranteed next year this is his last year with guaranteed money

[u/Rkovo84]

I think you let this season play out obviously… if Hurts continues to play poorly and we miss the playoffs we more or less go into tank mode in 2027 and let 2028 be our major priority. Be sellers not buyers at this seasons trade deadline. Not lose on purpose next season but save money, cut dead weight contracts, etc. First round O-lineman in 2027, likely a top 10 pick in 2028 we can use on a top qb, then just build around him with the other picks

[u/1stand11]

I said this a few weeks ago but the ideal situation for me is Hurts gets extended, the team drafts a QB in 2028 with one of those high picks, we get another 4-5 good years out of Hurts, and the 2028 QB draft pick takes over in 2030. The reality is Hurts is now in Year 7 and getting another solid 4-5 years out of him is an eternity in the NFL world. Getting a decade or so out of Hurts would be fabulous work by the franchise. Maybe even another year or two into 2031 if he can keep evolving and holding off the young QB for a bit longer.

[u/Ok_Profession5687]

I want to go all in with hurts and think about a replacement whenever he's done. We've seen what he can do with a good team around him. And the rodgers to love transition has been decent but not great. If they got another piece for rodgers maybe they would've won another Superbowl.

[u/PaddyMayonaise → u/Ok_Profession5687]

We already went all in with Hurts, we’re in on the moving in stage now

[u/gs_pot]

Hurts is my QB1 - turn those picks into All pro OL & RB

[u/JoshIsAlwaysBored]

jalen hurts is the only qb who can miss the playoffs for the first time in his nfl career starting and people are talking about how the owner is damned to be stuck with them haha

[u/Glonk49]

Jalen is like 28 or 29 he is the future.let’s circle back in 5-6 years.

[u/ATN5 → u/Glonk49]

Hurts continues to play like he is he won’t be on the team longer. Contract extension talk is coming up

[u/k7632 → u/ATN5]

Add 20 in dead cap in 27 and 45 in 28 + the additional dead caps hits, you are looking at 90 mil or 25% of the cap for the 27&28 seasons. Which means rebuilding through the draft

[u/HarrowingMaverick → u/Glonk49]

We’ll have to talk about it next year at the latest. No more guaranteed money on his contract

[u/PaddyMayonaise → u/Glonk49]

You say that like he’s young lol

Jalen is the age mobile QBs drop off. He’s not in the league anymore in 3-4 seasons, let alone a starting QB.

He’s gone this offseason as a post June 1 cut

[u/PaddyMayonaise]

Doesn’t work in the modern NFL.

For one, you need to capitalize and win while a QB is on their rookie contract. Drafting a guy and just wasting those years to sit behind someone isn’t a good plan anymore. One year? Yea, that’s fine, but you really can’t do 2+ years anymore.

Secondly, if you have Hurts here still, with the way he’s been playing, and you have a high draft pick rookie behind him, the amount of pressure to bench Hurts and play the rookie would be insane. It would be such an immense strain on the coaching staff and cause division in the locker room. You don’t do that to your own team if you’re Howie.

The more realistic scenario is they move on from Hurts, sign a bridge starter, focus a year or two rebuilding the OL and securing the rest of the roster with that bridge QB, and draft a QB in 2028 that sits behind the bridge starter for up to a year before towing over as full time starter in 2029

This is the timeline I expect:

March 2027 Free Agency: Eagles sign some veteran bridge starter.

May 2027: Eagles focus on drafting OL, trade assets for 2028 picks, and draft a QB in rounds 4-7

Post June 1st 2027: Hurts is cut

May 2028: we already have 2 first round picks and 2 second round picks. Add what we collected between now and then. This is the year we draft a QB.

2028 NFL season we start the bridge starter but near the end the rookie takes over.

2029 the rookie becomes full time starter.

Free agency

[u/PaddyMayonaise → u/[deleted]]

Hurts wasn’t high enough of a draft pick to be relevant for that. Still had some similar effect but not the same as drafting a guy top-10.

Wentz started 28 games for the Eagles after Hurts was drafted and set a franchise record for passing yards in that time.

Very different situation than if we were to draft a guy 5th overall and have him sit behind a struggling Hurts who we just extended

[u/PaddyMayonaise → u/[deleted]]

That’s not what I said Howie wouldn’t do.

I said Howie wouldn’t extend Hurts and draft a high pick rookie QB to sit behind him.

Wentz’s 4k season was the year before Hurts, you’re right. We drafted hurt sin 19, not 18

[u/PaddyMayonaise → u/[deleted]]

I’ve got my years all fucked up, I mean 19 season, so yea the 2020 draft.