Jalen Hurts has been an extremely divisive case study for NFL quarterbacks. While his raw numbers aren’t as prolific as some of the other big-name QBs, his resume is just as stacked. As a Super Bowl MVP, he is one of only a select few active in the league who hold that distinction.
But after a disastrous year for the Philadelphia Eagles, where the offense was a major cause of concern for them, the pendulum might have swung too far in the other direction. As a result, even Hall of Famers are defending the talent he brings to the table.
Jalen Hurts Still Has Elite Qualities
Since he became a full-time starter, Hurts hasn’t thrown for more than 4,000 yards in a single season. His season-high for passing touchdowns, too, sits at 25, which he achieved in 2025.
But a key component to his game as one of the most durable dual-threat quarterbacks in the league is his running game. Prior to the 2025 season, the three-time Pro Bowler was consistently putting up double-digit rushing touchdowns.
But in a disastrous offensive showing last year, his numbers on the ground dropped to 421 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, both serving as the lowest of his career since he became a full-time starter in 2021.
As a result, after three consecutive seasons inside the top-10, he fell to number 16 on PFN’s QB Impact Metric. But during an appearance on “Sports Radio 610,” Warren Moon went to bat for Hurts against the criticism for his raw production.
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Moon, who began his career with the Edmonton Eskimos and led them to five Grey Cup titles during his time in the Canadian Football League, eventually joined the NFL with the Houston Oilers.
Spending a decade with the organization, he led them to seven playoff appearances and won Offensive Player of the Year in 1990 after leading the league in both passing yards and touchdowns. With such an accomplishment-laden career, his defense of Hurts was simple.
“Yeah, because he’s not your typical win-the-game-with-his-arm type of quarterback in this league,” Moon said. “You know, he’s a winner, and he goes out and just does what it takes to win, and I think his mental strength is something that’s very, very contagious to his football team.”
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Going a step further, he believed the intangibles were where Hurts proved himself. “The way he prepares, all those different things, his leadership qualities, all those things mean something when you have a team that’s been put around him that really was well put together.”
Giving props to their offensive and defensive lines, Moon admitted to the strength of the Eagles’ roster. But he believed he was still the center of the entire operation as the quarterback and leader of the team.
Moon continued, “So he’s played on some really good football teams, and he’s done what it takes to win those games, especially those big games.”
As a result, he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of his raw statistical production defining his greatness.
He added, “So when you start looking at him and start comparing, okay, what are his numbers as far as his stats and different things like that, yeah, his numbers may not put him up with the top, top level guys, but I think there’s a more important factor that he brings to the table is that he knows how to win football games, and that’s what the Philadelphia Eagles have done basically over the last four years with him at the helm.”
Hurts’ resume is hard to deny. Two trips to the Super Bowl, including bringing only the second title in franchise history, certainly give him a noticeable edge. Add in three Pro Bowl appearances and a year where he was second in MVP voting, and the resume might not be as bad as some make it out to be.
