While many like to believe that the driving force behind every NFL team, player, and coach is the relentless pursuit of greatness, the true motivator is money.
With the league generating an estimated $20.5 billion in revenue last season, financial success dictates everything, and the real superstars are those who bring in the most cash. One of the best at doing so is Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
On February 4, Lids released its annual ranking of the Top 10 jersey sales, placing Hurts at No. 3, behind San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey at No. 1 and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at No. 2.
“While McCaffrey had the most jerseys sold overall, Lids revealed that Mahomes had the highest sales in the most states (13),” wrote Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek. “Hurts, who led in 13 states last year, topped sales in just four this year.”
Hurts and Mahomes will face off in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans, marking their second championship meeting in three years. McCaffrey, the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, played only four games in 2024 due to injuries.
Among the Top 10 in jersey sales, quarterbacks dominated with six spots, while only two defensive players—Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt—made the list.
Eagles Made Hurts Highest Paid Player of All Time
Jalen Hurts was selected in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. He took over as the Eagles’ starting quarterback late in his rookie season after head coach Doug Pederson benched Carson Wentz, the former No. 2 overall pick whom Philadelphia had signed to a four-year, $128 million contract just a year earlier.
Following a 4-11-1 season, Pederson was fired, and new head coach Nick Sirianni named Hurts the starter ahead of the 2021 season. That year, Hurts also changed his jersey number from No. 2 to No. 1, the number he wore in college.
As the Eagles’ starter for four seasons, Hurts has led the team to the playoffs every year and has now reached his second Super Bowl. A two-time Pro Bowler, he earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2022 after posting a 14-1 record as a starter, throwing for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while also rushing for 760 yards and 12 touchdowns.
In April 2023, the Eagles rewarded Hurts with a five-year, $255 million contract extension, briefly making him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Hurts Trying to Avoid Joining Kelly, Tarkenton
If Hurts were to lose to Mahomes and the Chiefs again, he would become just the third quarterback in NFL history to start multiple Super Bowls without securing a victory.
Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills holds the record with four Super Bowl losses, while Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings lost all three of his starts.
Hurts would join a list of quarterbacks with two Super Bowl losses, which includes Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, and Roger Staubach.
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