Surprising Contrast: NFL Fans amazed by Jalen Hurts’ Simple $2,000-a-month Apartment compared to $255m Contract

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is a Super Bowl MVP and one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

He just doesn’t live like it, or at least not during the season. 

Even though Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, has luxurious amenities like a par-3 golf hole and a mini-football field in his Missouri estate, his successor Hurts has opted for a more humble living situation during the regular season. Hurts resides in a modest $2,000-per-month apartment in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

And he does this in spite of a five-year deal that pays $255 million, of which, $180 million is guaranteed.

The reason for Hurts’ modest accommodation is quite simple. When he entered the NFL as a second-round pick in 2020, he wasn’t commanding the massive average annual salary of $51 million like Mahomes. At that time, Hurts was earning a humble $1 million base salary. So, living frugally in a cost-effective apartment away from the high real estate prices seemed like a practical choice across the Delaware River.

In an interview with AL.com in 2021, Hurts explained his decision, saying, “I didn’t buy a house or anything like that when I got drafted because it was just me. I didn’t need this big place just for myself. I just got me a little apartment. You know, something smooth that’ll last me for the time being.”

Jalen Hurts walks off the field at the Superdome after winning MVP in Super Bowl LIX 

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts kisses glamorous fiancée, Bry Burrows

Another reason, Hurts explained, was that he spent so much time living at his mother’s in his native Houston in the offseason, it didn’t make sense to buy a home in Philadelphia.

And according to the New York Post and US Sun, Hurts still lives in the New Jersey apartment during the regular season. 

Of course, Hurts does have glamorous fiancée, Bry Burrows, to consider these days, so he could be motivated to find new place in the Philadelphia area. 

Besides, he reportedly owns a $6 million Texas mansion, where he spends his offseason, and is said to have purchased the property next door for $2.5 million, not to mention homes for his mom and dad. 

According to Realtor.com, Hurts has a real estate portfolio of  $9.4 million. 

But don’t take that as an indication that Hurts is an irresponsible investor. As he told AL.com in 2021: ‘There are a ton of ways you can save money and be smart about your money.

‘Instead of buying a brand new car, because it depreciates as soon as you get off the lot, you can buy a used car or lease a car.

‘Instead of going out to eat all the time at these five-star restaurants, you can simply cook at home, or a person like me, I’m a take me a few to-go plates from the facility.

‘The third way you can save money is on the phone plan like Straight Talk because it runs on the same major networks like other brands but that allows you to save a lot of money. Instead of hiring a landscaping company, you can hire a local kid from the community to come cut your grass like I used to do.’

Many fans credited Hurts with being wise with his money while ignoring his Texas mansion

NFL Films’ Steve Sabol is seen in his office at NFL Films in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1992

Muhammad Ali signs autographs for neighborhood kids in front of his home in Cherry Hill

As reported by AL.com at the time, Hurts’ only big expenses were charity, his younger sister’s education, and a $215,000 Texas home for his father.

It’s unclear if and when Hurts plans on upgrading along the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border now that he’s signed through the 2028 season, when he’ll still only be 30.

Fans were understandably intrigued by Hurts’ financial restraint.

‘Smart,’ one fan remarked on X. ‘He’s not spending so much keeping up a mansion and the property.’

‘Good,’ another remarked, ‘why waste it?’

Interestingly, Cherry Hill, New Jersey was once home to a number of other sports heroes, such as Muhammad Ali, Philadelphia Flyers legend Bobby Clarke as well as Phillies pitcher and US Senator Jim Bunning.

What’s more, the league’s award-winning documentary production company, NFL Films, had offices in Cherry Hill, although it’s headquartered in nearby Mount Laurel.