Chris Simms acknowledges Jalen Hurts, still ranks him too low in Top-40 QB rankings

As we enter the dog days of summer, a lot of propaganda will be spewed out to keep football conversations alive.

For example: the annual Chris Simms’ Top-40 QB list.

As we all remember, Simms’ rankings were made infamous two years ago when he snubbed Jalen Hurts in favor of quarterbacks like Kellen Mond and Case Keenum.

The Top 40 QB is done. Putting Josh Allen over Aaron Rodgers was the hardest call of the whole list for me. I talk through the Top 4 here:https://t.co/oyfwxglhiL

Also taking questions for tomorrow's #AskMeAnything pod with @PaulWBurmeister pic.twitter.com/8acGerlxI8

— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) June 24, 2021

In 2022, Simms was kind enough to include Hurts in his rankings at No. 25, behind Daniel Jones and Zach Wilson. Let me remind you that Wilson went 3-10 as a starter in 2021, throwing 9 TDs to 11 INTs.

The quarterback countdown rolls on! 👀

QBs No. 21 to 25 ranked by @CSimmsQB. #NFL pic.twitter.com/pMFmCktMeE

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) May 26, 2022

In this year’s iteration, Simms has the Eagles’ signal-caller ranked in the top-7, which is a significant improvement but still too low.

Here are his top-40 QB rankings so far:

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert have yet to be ranked, but they’ll be slated into the top-4. If it were up to me, Hurts would be ranked No. 3 behind only Mahomes and Burrow — who have both been to Super Bowls.

Hurts, 24, was the MVP runner-up last season, throwing for 3,701 yards, 22 TDs, and 6 INTs while rushing for 760 yards and 13 TDs — one shy of the single-season record. This time last year, Hurts was viewed as a promising talent with visible flaws but displayed the willingness to improve, and he did just that in 2022 en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVII:

	2021 stats	2022 stats
Comp. %	61.3	66.5
Passing yards	3,144	3,701
Passing TDs	16	22
INTs	9	6
Passer rating	87.2	101.5

“Listen, I’m not a jerk,” Simms said. “I know I’ve said things and I’ve questioned him. I root for him. I hope he’s yelling at me right there. I hope he’s going, ‘Yeah, eat that s—, Simms. I’m No. 7 now. I proved you wrong!’ I’m all for that. I hope everybody knows that.

I think when you start out with this guy right way, you just go, ‘The ultimate gamer.’ The ultimate gamer. He really is. I think you could argue he’s the best leader in the NFL right now. Right? Any position. Mahomes I think is right up there. He’s in that class to me, where he’s gone to that kind of guy — Mahomes, even Joe Burrow. You ask me and I think I would be this group right there.”

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Hurts’ combination of strength, mobility, and accuracy rivals that of only Mahomes, Josh Allen, and perhaps Lamar Jackson — I certainly can’t justify having Trevor Lawrence ahead of him despite an impressive 2022 campaign under Doug Pederson.

The Eagles rewarded Hurts’ meteoric rise with a five-year, $255M extension that will keep him in Philly through 2028, and the team believes he can be even better.

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Plays like these are why @JalenHurts just got paid. 💰 pic.twitter.com/gzONDWvqfT

— NFL (@NFL) April 17, 2023