Eagles Quarterbacks—The Top Seasons In Franchise History

By John Turney 

Jalen Hurts

In Super Bowl LVII Jalen Hurts proved his worth as a quarterback even though his team fell three points short of an NFL title. He played well. Had the Eagles won he would have been the game's MVP. 

Unfortunately, he made just one error, an unforced one, dropping the football that was picked up and run back for a touchdown by the Chiefs which proved ultimately to be the difference in the game.

The performance capped off a nearly-perfect season for Hurts. 

Nearly.

So, how does his season compare to individual seasons by other Eagles quarterbacks throughout the history of the franchise? 

Taking the only best season from each starting quarterback, their career year if you will, here is an analysis and ranking.

11. Michael Vick, 2010. After being suspended for two seasons for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy Eagles head coach Andy Reid gave Vick a second chance. Vick had served most of that time in federal prison after pleading guilty to his involvement in illegal dog fighting. 

Vick got his chance to start his second year in Philadelphia when Kevin Kolb was injured, and though Vick missed some time himself he had a fine year. He was 8-3 as a starter, threw for 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions and had a 100.2 passer rating. He also ran for 676 yards and nine touchdowns. 

He received the Bert Bell Award which is presented annually to the best player in the NFL by the Philadelphia-based Maxwell Football Club. He was also the consensus NFL Comeback Player of the Year. 

Also, Vick was voted the NFC Player of the Year by the Kansas City Committee of 101, an organization that polls 101 national sportswriters and sportscasters and began giving various awards in 1969. Vick was also second in the AP Offensive Player of the year voting.

10. Nick Foles, 2013 - It was Michael Vick's turn to have someone replace him in 2013. Foles was the guy and all he did was break all sorts of team passing records that still stand all while winning eight of the ten games he started.

He led the NFL with a 119.2 passer rating which was third all-time behind a couple of guys named Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning. He also showed a knack for completing the long ball. He led the NFL in yards per completion, yards per attempt, and touchdown percentage. 

It was quite a surprising season for an unknown backup.

9. Roman Gabriel, 1973 - The Eagles had just a 5-8-1 record in 1973 they were coming off a miserable 2-11-1 season so five wins was an accomplishment. In fact, they had a chance to be 7-7 but a late Giants field goal allowed them to tie the Eagles and a last-second miss on a field goal attempt cost the Eagles a victory against the Bills.

Gabriel led the NFL in completions, passing yards, and tied for the lead in touchdown passes. He was and was voted to the Pro Bowl and was selected All-pro by legendary Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman, who then pick his annual team for the New York Post. Like Vick, he was awarded the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

His 3,219 passing yard total is notable because it was accomplished in what football historians call the NFL's dead ball era. When adjusted for that era and prorated to a sixteen-game season that total is closer to 4,500 yards, give or take, and his 23 touchdowns convert to around 30.

8. Sonny Jurgensen, 1961 - Jurgensen led the NFL in completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes and was an All-pro and a Pro Bowler and a runner-up in the UPI Player of the Year voting. The Eagles were 10-4 but finished a half-game behind the NFL Eastern Conference champion New York Giants. His 32 touchdown passes are still the second-most in team history.

7. Ron Jaworski, 1980 - Jaws top the Birds to the Super Bowl and was not able to finish the season with a victory but it was a good ride, especially thumping the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship Game. 

The Eagles were 12-4 and the number one seed in the NFL, Jaworski was All-NFC, a Pro Bowler and third in the AP MVP voting and won the Bert Bell Award, and set career highs in almost every passing category.

6. Carson Wentz, 2017 - In just his second season Wentz was having a great year in 2017 but went down with an injury and didn't get a chance to take the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Nick Foles had to do that and he won the thing.  In 13 games Wentz set the franchise record for touchdown passes and his 101.9

passer rating is fourth best.

He was second-team All-pro, voted to the Pro Bowl and was another Eagle winner of the Bert Bell Award. He was also third in the voting for the AP MVP award.

5. Donovan McNabb, 2004 - McNabb had many great seasons but 2004 was his best. He set career highs in completion percentage (64.7), touchdowns (31), and passer rating (104.7) and posted 13 wins, also the most of his career. In addition, he was voted the NFC Player of the Year by the Washington Touchdown Club, an organization that had been naming players of the year since 1945.

He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl but like Hurts and Jaworski, he fell short of the proverbial brass ring, losing to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

4. Randall Cunningham, 1990 - Playoff success is not part of Cunningham's resume, at least in Philadelphia but he was a force who could be dominant at times. He had a couple of years that could have been selected but 1990 was his career year.

He completed 271 of 465 passes for 3466 yards that went for 30 touchdowns. He also ran for 942 yards and five scores, accounting for 35 total. He was the PFWA Most Valuable Player and first-team All-Pro (PFWA) as well as the runner-up to Joe Montana in the AP MVP voting.

If he's just had some playoff success in 1990 he'd be ranked higher on this list. Winning matters when judging quarterbacks.

3. Tommy Thompson, 1948 - Who? The man with two NFL Championship rings, one in 1948. Yes, it was a different game back then but consider this:  He threw for 25 touchdown passes that year, to lead the NFL - in twelve games. He was also the NFL's leading passer under the system that was used at the time.

The NFL did not introduce the NFL passer rating until 1973 but has since gone back and applied it to previous years. Thompson's 98.4 rating was not surpassed by any Eagle quarterback until Donovan McNabb's 2004 mark of 104.7 - fifty-six years. That is remarkable when considering how the passing game evolved over that time.

Thompson led the Eagles to the NFL Eastern Conference title and on a snowy day in Philadelphia's Shibe Park beat the Chicago Cardinals to punctuate his career year.

2.  Jalen Hurts, 2022- So close. Just three points short in the Super Bowl and Jalen Hurts would have been hoisting the Lombardi Trophy over his head, not Patrick Mahomes. 

As it was Hurts was the NFC Champion quarterback who had a 14-1 in the regular season, a 16-2 overall record. He was the runner-up in the AP MVP, was second-team All-Pro, All-NFC, and was voted to the Pro Bowl. He checked a lot of post-season honors boxes.

He threw dimes all season, deep, short, and intermediate, and was almost impossible to stop on short yardage. In all he accounted for 35 touchdowns, tying Randall Cunningham's team record, taking 13 into the end zone himself - setting the team record for quarterbacks for rushing touchdowns.

For the season he threw for 3701 yards and completed 66.5 percent of his passes, which is second-best in team annals. Only 1.3 percent of his passes were picked and that is third-best in the record books and his 101.5 passer rating is fifth-best.

It was a unique and special year but does it deserve to be first on this list?  Perhaps, is certainly a close call. But winning does matter and in a close call, it has to be the tie-breaker.

1. Norm Van Brocklin, 1960. In the Dutchman's final season, he led the Birds to the NFL's best record and beat the Vince Lombardi-led Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game. It capped his Hall of Fame career. 

That year he was the consensus NFL MVP, a consensus first-team All-pro, and was second in the NFL in passing, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and a number of other passing categories. Basically, he was second in everything, statistically.

He led the Eagles to five fourth-quarter comebacks (including the title game), as per Pro Football Reference. 

Van Brocklin's 1960 season had statistics, post-season honors, and the championship and it's the top year by an Eagles quarterback.