Jalen Hurts is on top of the world. He’s the reigning Super Bowl MVP on a Philadelphia Eagles team that is stacked and looking to add more firepower in this week’s draft. However, in a strange twist, the Pro Bowl quarterback had no inkling that he was going to be drafted by the Eagles.
Jalen Hurts Thought He Was Going to the AFC Team in Pennsylvania
On Tuesday, Jalen Hurts went on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce to talk about how he found out he was becoming a Philadelphia Eagle during the 2020 NFL Draft.
“So, when they called me, I got the 2-1-5 (referencing Philadelphia’s area code). It was Howie,” Hurts said. “I know Pittsburgh had maybe the 48th pick or 40-something. (They drafted Chase Claypool 49th overall) So, they were coming up. They had their first pick. Their first pick was in the second round and I thought I was going to Pittsburgh, so when I saw ‘PA,’ I’m like oh, this is Pittsburgh. I didn’t know what to expect.”
“So, when they said the Philadelphia Eagles. I had no idea I was coming. I had no idea. This is gonna be big. This little conversation? Yeah, I never really talked about it, but, I had no idea,” Hurts explained.
Travis asked if Hurts had met with the Eagles at the combine.
“I had an interview with them at the draft, like an official interview,” Hurts said. “From the interview, I didn’t think I was gonna be an Eagle.”
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Well, it turns out that this surprise was a good one for Hurts. Some people questioned the pick since former first round pick Carson Wentz had just signed a four-year contract. However, Wentz struggled in 2020 and was replaced by Hurts mid-game in Week 13 against Green Bay. The 26-year-old has been the Eagles’ starting quarterback ever since. He broke out in 2022, helping them to the Super Bowl and being named to the Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro.
Hurts won his rematch with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in a blowout, thus joining Ken Stabler, Joe Namath and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks to win a national title and a Super Bowl.
Hurts is now being used as a comparison for Jalen Milroe, which makes sense since both played at Alabama and have similar skill sets.