Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts walked slowly off the turf at State Farm Stadium, allowing the red-and-gold confetti to touch his skin on his way by the Chiefs’ trophy presentation ceremony. The Lombardi Trophy wasn’t coming with him on the plane ride back to Philadelphia, not this time. Hurts looked every teammate in the eye, staring deep into their pupils, perhaps their souls, to see all the uncontrollable pain, and vowed to learn from his first Super Bowl experience.
The 24-year-old intends to use Sunday’s loss as a teachable moment. Hurts soaked in the scene of Chiefs players celebrating wildly on the field as the clock ticked down to all zeroes. He’ll use that surreal scene, one that included a WWE championship belt, as motivation to get back on the biggest stage and finish the job.
“Obviously, we had a big-time goal that we wanted to accomplish and we came up short,” Hurts said. “I think the beautiful part about it is everyone experiences different pains, everyone experiences different agonies of life, but you decide if you want to learn from it. You decide if you want that to be a teachable moment. I know I do.”
Typically, you only get one shot at the Lombardi Trophy. Just think of the great quarterbacks that only went to one Super Bowl.
But I truly think that Jalen Hurts can get the Eagles back on the big stage. He convinced me last night.
Hurts could be $265 million richer the next time he’s competing for a ring. The Eagles are expected to head to the negotiating table with their newly minted franchise quarterback in the coming weeks and hammer out the parameters of a long-term financial commitment. Whatever happens there, happens. Hurts is only concerned about bettering himself.
“Win, lose, I always reflect on the things I could have done better, anything you could have done better to try and take that next step,” Hurts said. “That’ll be the same process I always have going on.”
Jalen Hurts Sets Multiple Super Bowl Records
The argument could be made that Hurts deserved to win Super Bowl MVP honors despite playing on the losing team. Similar to what Terrell Owens did back in 2005 at Super Bowl XXXIX. Neither one won the award.
Cowboys Hall of Famer Chuck Howley remains the only player in NFL history to achieve that dubious distinction but Hurts certainly made a strong case to be the second one. He seized the moment in the biggest game of his life, shattering multiple records in the process. Those things didn’t matter to Hurts after a stinging loss, though.
“I don’t think the stage or the magnitude really matters,” Hurts said. “We lost. We lost and we came up short.”
He set Super Bowl records for most rushing yards and rushing TDs by a QB.
Hats off to @JalenHurts for an incredible #SBLVII performance. 👏
Hurts went 27-of-38 for 304 passing yards and 1 touchdown through the air. He also racked up 70 yards on 15 touches with 3 scores on the ground. The 70 rushing yards were the most in a Super Bowl, surpassing the 23-year-old record of 64 yards held by Steve McNair. His three touchdown scampers – a 1-yard run in the first quarter, a 4-yard run in the second, and a 2-yard run in the fourth – were the most by any quarterback in a Super Bowl and tied Terrell Davis for the most rushing scores by any player in a Super Bowl.
But there was one play that was reverberating around Hurts’ memory bank. His second-quarter fumble was a costly mistake that shifted momentum as Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton scooped it up and raced 36 yards the other way for a touchdown. And it happened on a play where Hurts wasn’t even touched.
“I always hold myself to a very high standard in everything that I do,” Hurts said. “Obviously, I try and control the things that I can, not just the ball every play, so I just try and protect it. But, it hurt us. You never know what play it will be, but it hurt us.”
Jalen Hurts with a costly fumble 😫
Contract Extension Talks Heating Up
Contract extension talks are about to heat up between the Eagles and Hurts in the coming weeks. The new league year begins on March 15 and the organization will probably want to have a new deal in place for a guy who sure looks like the franchise quarterback. A recent ESPN report suggested that Hurts could earn $50 million per year and there is “urgency” to get a deal done ahead of Justin Herbert (Chargers), Joe Burrow (Bengals), and Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins). Hurts is under contract for 2023 at $4.3 million in final year of his 4-year rookie deal.
Last year Kyler Murray signed a five-year $230.5 million dollar contract. Placing him in the $46 million per year category. Russell Wilson signed a five-year $242 million dollar contract placing him in the 48.5 million per year category.
If you’re Jalen Hurts, are you going to…
Hurts wasn’t ready to comment on his future riches during his post-game press conference. Instead, he revealed how he had already challenged himself and everyone else in the locker room to look themselves in the mirror.
“I’m big on self-reflection and reflecting on the things I could have done better,” Hurts said, “so I think I’m going to challenge everyone, and I’ve already challenged everyone, to think about those things, because it’s the same process we go about. Look at yourself in the mirror and be able to learn from everything.”
Jalen Hurts at the Super Bowl on his future with the Eagles
“This is a special place here, a place I’d love to be forever.”
#JalenHurts says he’s not worried about a contract extension at the #SuperBowl
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Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Breaks Silence on Super Bowl Loss, Contract Talks Heat Up