Keep the main thing the main thing. Make daily deposits every single day. Continue to grow and set the standard. These are a few of the favorite fill-in-the-blank answers to any press-conference question hurled at Jalen Hurts. The Philadelphia Eagles starter is a master showman, always on stage, constantly guarding the image and message he wants people to see and hear.
Is he boring? A little. Who cares. Hurts is doing his best to clean up the polluted world of professional sports in an unexpectedly refreshing way. The mature-beyond-his-years 24-year-old attempted to explain his forward-thinking leadership style during an interview with Rob Maaddi on the AP Pro Football Podcast. He wouldn’t compare or contrast himself to Tom Brady (or anybody else) despite Maaddi’s best attempts to bring other star quarterbacks into the conversation.
“Being a great leader looks different for every … it looks different for different people,” Hurts said. “In the end, for whatever reason, I’ve been summoned that, but I just try to go out there and set the right example and earn the respect of my peers. That’s always been my number one [goal], and then I think it’s crucial that people understand that people lead because their peers let them lead.
Just because you’re the star player, just because you’re the guy or whatever it is, that doesn’t guarantee that everyone will follow you. It’s about setting the right example and being true to yourself. And being true to the people around you.”
Jalen Hurts, fresh off a $255 million contract, returned to spring OTAs as the same person he was when he watched the red-and-yellow confetti fall on his head in Arizona. The money won’t feed his hunger for a championship. Or the desire to prove his value to the franchise that took a second-round chance on him in 2020.
“I just want to continue to quantify my worth,” Jalen Hurts said. “It’s something 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.”
Jason Kelce: That’s His True Personality
Jason Kelce has spurned retirement in back-to-back seasons because he believes in Jalen Hurts. It’s not an act. It’s not fake. It’s what he embodies every single day. Maybe that is why he had such a hard time getting over the Super Bowl loss.
“He’s killing it and you see what his personality is,” Kelce told this reporter last November. “It sounds like it’s canned answers maybe, or it sounds like it’s rehearsed stuff, but what you see is what you get with that guy. I think because he’s the son of a coach, he embodies a lot of these things he says every single day. He’s who he is every single day.”
Maybe that explains why Jalen Hurts had such a hard time getting over the Super Bowl loss. The quarterback is still “beating himself up” over losing to Kansas City nearly five months later, according to Kelce.
Jalen Hurts Inks Endorsement Deal with Accelerator
Jalen Hurts announced a new partnership with Accelerator, a healthy energy drink from A SHOC Energy which has been specifically formulated to enable peak performance for the modern athlete. It is NSF approved and features a blend of natural caffeine, plant-based thermogenics, antioxidants, and adaptogens to provide sustained energy without the crash. Hurts joins fellow celebrity athletes Travis Kelce, Brooks Koepka, Trevon Diggs, Aaron Judge, and Lexi Thomspon (among others) in promoting the brand.
“I’m not a big energy drink guy, but it’s NSF certified, and it is the healthiest option out there for energy drinks,” Hurts told Rob Maaddi. “You got people working construction and they rely heavy on that. Hard labor jobs, you know, different strokes for different folks. Different people utilize those products and I just think this is the best option out there. I’m a true believer in it.”
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
