Eagles’ All-Pro QB Jalen Hurts lands the cover of Sports Illustrated: Takeaways and reactions
Jalen Hurts has had an incredible year and half, earning All-Pro honors, MVP runner-up, while leading Philadelphia to the Super Bowl.
Off the field, Hurts has appeared in a short-film, signed a Jordan Brand deal, and now he’s landed the coveted cover for Sports Illustrated’s NFL preview.
Greg Bishop went in-depth with Hurts to discuss his upbring, competitive drive and plans for returning the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
Social media reacts to everything, and Hurts landing the cover shut-down Twitter/X.
Adam Schefter
Jalen Hurts on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Football Preview issue: pic.twitter.com/kRMygwz7nG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2023
Takeaway
Hurts plans his day and his life down to the single-minute, and that’s likely a huge reason for his success on and off the field.
While returning to Oklahoma to earn and graduate with a Master’s Degree, Bishop broke down the All-Pro’s approach.
Few superstars decide to finish their educational pursuits while acclimating to the NFL. Fewer still are quarterbacks on the cusp of careers that now project far beyond the wildest of pre-draft expectations. Even fewer obtain master’s degrees, as Hurts did. Fewer still return to a stopover where they spent just one season. But Hurts is here. Of course he’s here, because in his hand he holds a cellphone, and on that cellphone is an itinerary—every meeting, break, speech, meal and ceremony, scheduled to the minute.
Oklahoma Football
A winner on and off the field. @JalenHurts graces the cover of SI's 2023 NFL preview ⤵️ https://t.co/FoZQ5yPLhX | #OUDNA https://t.co/Qtisw8jMrd pic.twitter.com/5Q8EtfMVwZ
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 21, 2023
Takeaway
Hurts played a spectacular game, and he’s reached another level as a quarterback, but he’s going to carry that fumble on his shoulders until he returns and wins a Lombardi Trophy.
Hurts moves with intent. Eats with intent. Reads, watches and consumes with intent. Last February after Super Bowl LVII, Hurts stood before his Philly teammates inside their locker room. He had thrown for 304 yards and scored four touchdowns but insisted they blame him for their loss to the Chiefs. What??? Hurts made one obvious, critical mistake: a second-quarter fumble that K.C. linebacker Nick Bolton scooped up and returned for a score. The truth missing from Hurts’s message didn’t matter. Intention did.
