Has Jalen Hurts proven he's the future for Philadelphia Eagles?

The Jalen Hurts trade chatter is on the rise once again.

NFL insider Adam Schefter previously hinted that Hurts might actually become more valuable as a trade chip for the Philadelphia Eagles than as a quarterback after last season. 

Rumors that the Eagles would move off the 23-year-old Hurts next season are gaining steam in light of the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft, where the Eagles own three first-round picks. There is some debate about how the organization will use that draft capital and if they should try to improve at the quarterback spot.

Could trading Hurts for a top-tier veteran QB like Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers be in the Eagles' future?

Hurts — the 53rd overall pick in the 2020 Draft — spent two years at Alabama (2016–2018) before finishing his college football career at Oklahoma, where he replaced Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray and produced a Heisman finalist season of his own, in 2019. 

In his rookie season, Hurts went 1-3 in the four games he started in place of then-Eagles QB Carson Wentz.

Hurts' first year as a full-time starter in 2021 was — arguably — a success for a sophomore QB. He completed 61.7% of his passes, scored 26 total touchdowns (passing and rushing) and kept his interceptions to single digits on his way to leading the Eagles to an 8-7 finish and an appearance in the NFC wild-card round. He also orchestrated a pair of game-winning drives and two come-from-behind wins last season. 

Overall, Hurts boasts a 9-10-0 record (.474) in his professional career.

Overall, 13 quarterbacks were drafted in 2020, with some of the most notable names alongside Hurts being Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) and Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins).

Like Hurts, Burrow and Herbert are also below .500 thus far in their NFL careers. 

But despite being 12-13-1 (.481) as a starter, Burrow, 25, led the Bengals to first place in the AFC North with a 10-7 record and an appearance in this year's Super Bowl LVI, just one year after his rookie season was limited to 10 games due to a knee injury. 

Meanwhile, Herbert is 15-17-0 (.469) at the helm for the Chargers, who haven't made the playoffs since the 23-year-old was drafted. Tagovailoa, also 23, is the only QB of the bunch with a winning record — 13-8-0 (.619) — two years into the league, but the Dolphins have also yet to see a postseason with Tagovailoa. 

From the looks of it, the Eagles have fared well with Hurts compared to the other QBs taken at the same time. Only time will tell how Nick Sirianni & Co. feel as the draft approaches and things get rolling this offseason.

For now, it appears the Eagles will stick with Hurts — until they don't.