What does Jalen Hurts mean for Carson Wentz’s future with Eagles?

No one thought the Eagles were in the market for a quarterback in this year’s draft. Spending a second-rounder on Jalen Hurts puts Carson Wentz on notice.

The Eagles didn’t draft Jalen Hurts to take Carson Wentz‘s job in 2020. It is, however, very possible Philadelphia wants Hurts to become the team’s starting quarterback at some point.

It’s important to note the Eagles can get out of Wentz’s big-money contract after 2021. It would stick the organization with roughly $25 million in dead cap money, but it would prevent the team from being stuck with over $60 million due to a quarterback who has struggled to stay healthy.

That’s clearly not the best potential outcome for the Eagles. They want Wentz to adjust his style of play to increase his durability. They aren’t going to be caught without a talented backup if Wentz can’t figure out how to make that happen. That’s why Hurts has been brought in to be a relatively inexpensive insurance policy for the future.

Those are all issues the Eagles front office will sort out in future years. In the short-term, Hurts is ready to impact Philadelphia with a special package right away. Mobile quarterbacks who can make accurate throws out on the edge are all the rage in the modern NFL. That’s what Hurts can bring to Doug Pederson‘s offense right away.

Giving Hurts a series or two in every game might also help reduce the number of hits that Wentz is asked to absorb on a weekly basis. He may not play every week for Philadelphia, but he’ll get enough playing time to force opponents to game plan against him every time out.

It will be particularly interesting to see how Wentz reacts to having a young, high-profile quarterback join his locker room. The Eagles easily could have justified spending the pick on another wide receiver capable of helping Wentz right away. At the very least, the Hurts selection is a clear signal that the Eagles’ front office isn’t 100 percent sure they can count on Wentz to be their franchise quarterback of the future.

Eagles fans can expect the team’s higher-ups to do all they can to quash any controversy in the short-term. They’ll classify the Hurts pick as a move designed to strengthen the backup quarterback spot. It’s more than that. Drafting Hurts gives Philadelphia a legitimate decision to make at quarterback after the 2021 season. That means Wentz’s time may be up sooner than anyone thought possible.