Jalen Hurts has finally ascended to the quarterback Olympus with his new contract. His head coach Nick Sirianni now made it clear that this also means new expectations for the 24-year-old.

Jalen Hurts signed a five-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles this week. His labor deal made the 25-year-old the highest-paid quarterback ever in one fell swoop.

The Eagles believe in the playmaker and see him as the future that can bring the franchise another Super Bowl title. The Eagles want to protect that future – but probably not by making Hurts another player, as head coach Nick Sirianni made clear.

“We didn’t pay him to perform less. […] We’re thinking about how we protect our quarterback, that’s our job,” Sirianni told “The Athletic,” “but he does a lot of things right and we want to continue to take advantage of that. “

Jalen Hurts: Total package ensured new contract

Hurts’ overall package was the reason he was selected as the new franchise face, he said. The head coach made it clear that there was no reason to use him more cautiously just because of the new contract.

These thoughts were fueled after Josh Allen stated he might want to change his style of play to better protect himself from injury. Like Hurts, the Buffalo Bills quarterback is very physical on the field and consistently shines out of runners.

For Hurts and the Eagles, however, those considerations don’t seem to be an option just yet.