After a breakout season in which he guided the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts is not resting on his laurels.
Following the heartache of narrowly missing out on lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy, the quarterback is working harder to hit the ground running next season. During an appearance on the AP Pro Football Podcast, the 24-year-old commented on the mindset he is channeling ahead of the new season.
"And that’s the thrill. There’s a thrill in not being satisfied and there’s a thrill in being on this journey, and I have embraced that,” he began. “I love this game and I know my purpose within this game. I truly just want to be intentional.
"So every day I just try to be the best that I can be and that is not based off of external factors. Those things don’t matter. You just try and control what you can." During the regular season, the Eagles produced a record of 14 wins and three losses with Hurts starring with MVP-calbre play until injury saw him miss two games with a shoulder injury before returning to the lineup for the final game and the playoffs.
Some of those affiliated with the franchise are concerned that Hurts’ running style will leave him prone to injury. But the player is drowning out the noise and is focused on working as hard as he possibly can for his team.
"I put a lot of work in. I invest a ton into this and always have, and I just want to continue to quantify my work," he added. "That’s been something that I’ve been able to do since I’ve been in college. So that’s always my goal.
“Find those weaknesses and turn them into your strengths. And then if you do have a strength, boost it and make it a touch stronger."
After he was picked in the second round of the NFL draft in 2020, last season Hurts threw for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and ran for 760 yards and 13 scores, and finished second in the MVP voting.
He was rewarded with a mega $255 million, five-year contract extension that was the richest in NFL history before Lamar Jackson signed an even more lucrative extension a fortnight later. Hurts has had a busy offseason in which he earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and was featured in a short film by Teyana Taylor.
But Hurts has vowed to stay focused on his game and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson have spoken highly about his work ethic. "We’ll never put a ceiling on what he can accomplish," Johnson said.
"I think with Jalen, nothing that he ever does will surprise me. He works like a madman. He’s very, very diligent. He’s very intentional about what he wants, and that shows on a daily basis in how he operates."
