PHILADELPHIA — All it took was 10 games for the Indianapolis Colts to bench Anthony Richardson in favor of 39-year-old Joe Flacco. Even though Richardson is just 22 years old, 10 games was enough of a sample size to draw a conclusion on the No. 4 overall pick in last year’s draft.
Jalen Hurts is the prime example of giving a young quarterback an opportunity to develop. Of course, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of the top organizations in football for a reason.
Hurts isn’t going to criticize another organization for how it does business, yet his development is why teams should be patient with young quarterbacks.
“I think things do take time,” Hurts said Wednesday. “Things take time, and everybody has a different approach going in. I wasn’t supposed to be the guy I am today. Nobody expected that.
“But I took advantage of my opportunity, and that’s what I encourage everyone to do regardless.”
Hurts didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his first year as a starter. In that 2021 season, Hurts completed 61.3% of his passes for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions for an 87.2 rating, becoming just the second quarterback in Eagles history to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 750 yards in a season.
Hurts improved as the season went on, completing a season-high 66.7% of his passes for 709 yards with three touchdowns to just one interception for a 101.3 passer rating in his final three games to lead Philadelphia to a 9-8 record and playoff berth — one year after the Eagles went 4-11-1.
Hurts was also the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in his first 20 career starts. The Eagles gave Hurts time, allowing him to succeed with the more chances he had.
“You got a ton of respect for Tom Brady, and you hear him talk about it all the time, about taking advantage of the moment,” Hurts said. “You know there’s a different leash there, the earlier you’re picked.
“But nonetheless, nothing’s guaranteed, and nothing’s promised, so you just want to take advantage of every opportunity that comes. Sometimes adversity builds the appropriate callouses for you to forge your new paths, and understand different storms that come your way.”
That 2021 season propelled Hurts to becoming the MVP runner-up the following season. Hurts was spectacular that season, completing 66.5% of his passes for 4,280 yards with 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions for a 100.8 passer rating in his 18 starts (including playoffs), while also having 903 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Hurts reached 5,183 total yards and 43 total touchdowns to just seven turnovers, as the Eagles were 16-2 in those starts.
Giving Hurts time to learn on the field made him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL at one point, and one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the game.
Perhaps the Colts should have done the same, but even Hurts knows every situation is different. Hurts is still a living embodiment of organizations being patient with young quarterbacks.