Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts earned a massive achievement on Wednesday.
Hurts, a former 2020 second-round draft pick, was named to the 2025 TIME100, which is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
MLB Hall of Famer and five-time New York Yankees World Series champion, Derek Jeter, had the honor of writing a tribute to Hurts for the magazine.
"We connected shortly after (the Super Bowl), and the only thing he asked about was insight on going back and winning again," Jeter wrote. "Sometimes people win, then exhale. Jalen is not exhaling. He's embracing the next challenge. Win or lose, Jalen's resilience and determination offer all of us something to admire."
Winning is something that, just like Jeter, Hurts possesses and it all starts with exceptional leadership skills.
Since the start of the 2022 season, Hurts has recorded the highest winning percentage among all NFL quarterbacks, with a 35-9 record and a .795 winning percentage. He also has accumulated 105 total touchdowns, including a league-best 52 rushing scores.
But while winning is important for a successful leader, Hurts is very aware that it all starts with himself.
"Ultimately I look at myself first and say how can I be better and what do I need to do to be better and ultimately play at the highest level I can play," Hurts told reporters last fall. "We know that's what it takes to play complementary football at its fullest. That's what the goal is.
"I told the team everybody dominate their box. Everyone, including myself. That's what it's about, and I don't want that to get lost in the sauce of everything else when the main thing is to come out here, go through prep, do what we need to do and go out there and play."
Since entering the league in 2020, Hurts has been named to the Pro Bowl twice, including a Pro Bowl nod in 2022 and another in 2023. He was also named to the second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press once. Additionally, Hurts led his team to two Super Bowls, and this past season, he was the winner of the MVP award after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX.
