After the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII following the 2022 season, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts kept a picture of the red and yellow Chiefs confetti falling onto the field following the game as the screensaver on his phone.
Two years later, Hurts watched confetti — this time in Eagles’ colors — fall all around him as he brought home Super Bowl MVP honors following a 40-22 blowout win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
Hurts had to compose himself while speaking with FOX Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews after she asked him about the feeling of getting to see his confetti fall instead of another team’s.
Hurts accounted for 293 yards of offense — 221 passing and 72 rushing — and 3 total touchdowns in the win.
“God is good,” Hurts told Andrews, stopping several times to get his emotions in check. “Greater than all the highs and lows. I try to use every experience and just learn from it and use it all as fuel to pursue my own greatness … I’m still processing (the confetti) … I just can’t wait to enjoy this with my family. Just soak it in.”
The corporate machinery behind Hurts went into overdrive following the win, with a Jordan brand commercial with the slogan “Love, Hurts” airing immediately after the win and seemingly aimed at the people who doubted Hurts along the way.
“This Jalen Hurts Jordan commercial is so damn good,” ESPN’s Field Yates posted on X.
Hurts Joins John Elway in Rare Group of NFL QBs
With the win, Hurts became the first quarterback since Denver Broncos Hall of Famer John Elway to win a Super Bowl after losing in his first attempt — Elway actually lost 3 times in the Super Bowl before he won the first of back-to-back Super Bowls following the 1997 season.
It was also the first time the Eagles won a playoff game with Hurts throwing for over 155 yards. In the Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs following the 2022 season, Hurts was brilliant in a 38-35 loss with 374 yards of offense and 4 touchdowns, including 3 rushing touchdowns.
Already One of NFL’s Most Popular Players
Hurts was already one of the NFL’s most popular players — winning a Super Bowl could only serve to shoot his fame and popularity into the stratosphere.
Lids released their annual list of the Top 10 jersey sales on February 4 and Hurts was at No. 3 behind San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey at No. 1 and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at No. 2.
“While there were more McCaffrey jerseys sold in total, Lids revealed that Mahomes was the best-selling jersey in the highest number of states (13),” Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek wrote. “His Super Bowl counterpart in Hurts was the highest-selling one in 13 states last year but only led four this year.”
It’s quite a come up from when Hurts was a second round pick (No. 53 overall) in the 2020 NFL draft out of Oklahoma. He became the Eagles’ full time starter late in his rookie season after head coach Doug Pederson benched former No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz — the player the Eagles had signed to a 4-year, $128 million contract just one year earlier.
Just 3 years later, the Ethe Eagles made Hurts the highest paid player in NFL history at the time with a 5-year, $255 million contract extension.
