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At 24 years old, Jalen Hurts has become the highest paid player in National Football League history, the Philadelphia Eagles announced on Monday.
The quarterback signed a five-year extension contract with the Eagles for $255 million. He’ll be paid $51 million yearly, according to ESPN. That makes it the biggest contract in terms of average annual value, outpacing Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks.
Hurts joined the Eagles in 2020 as a second-round draft pick, taking over for former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. He became a full-time starter for the Eagles in 2021 and has since won 23 games and lost 11. He led the Eagles, which had a 14-3 record last season, to this year’s Super Bowl where he scored four touchdowns, though the team ultimately lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Of course, Hurts’ strong performance over the past two seasons contributed to his landing the biggest contract in NFL history. But it also came down to his management team.
Hurts is managed by an all-women management team from the sports agency Klutch Sports Group. The team of all women, three of whom are Black, is a rarity in the NFL world and has received notable attention for setting a precedent in diversifying sports management, a historically male-dominated industry.
Nicole Lynn, his primary agent, was promoted to president of the company’s football division earlier this month, as reported by Sports Business Journal. Lynn did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but posted on Twitter on Monday afternoon seemingly in reference to Hurts’ record-breaking contract:
Lynn is joined by Chantal Romain, Shakeemah Simmons-Winter, Jenna Malphrus and Rachel Everett who all manage different aspects of Hurts’ communications and marketing strategy.
“I have a team of straight hustlers. … They get things done. And that’s how I am on the field and off the field,” Hurts told Sports Illustrated in August 2022.
It was Lynn herself who reached out to Hurts over Instagram direct message when he was on the hunt for a sports agent in January 2020. She told Sports Illustrated that her message to Hurts read, “Hey, have you picked an agent? If not, I’d love to link.”
Lynn and the management team have continued breaking convention and setting records with this new deal.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith said on Monday that Hurts deserves “every penny” of this new contract, commending the growth of his game. He also gave Lynn kudos for securing the deal: “Nicole Lynn, congrats to her. And major major props for her pulling this off. It was necessary, she had to do it.”
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