Tragic Details About Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

In February 2025, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was riding high following his monumental Super Bowl LIX win against the Kansas City Chiefs — but that's not all he was celebrating. He also scored the game's highly coveted MVP award. "Number one, defense wins championships," Hurts told sideline reporter Erin Andrews on the field, swiftly giving his fellow teammates credit for the dominant win. (We know what you're thinking — is Hurts really as nice as he seems? The short answer is yes.)

Unfortunately, it's not been all Super Bowl rings and Pete Rozelle trophies for the star football player. "God is good — even in the highs and the lows," Hurts said after being awarded MVP. Make no mistake, those aren't just empty words for Hurts. Over the years, Hurts has experienced his fair share of lows, tragic moments, and, yes, even hurts. The Jordan Brand even created an entire Super Bowl commercial called "Love, Hurts," highlighting all the ways in which people have underestimated the player throughout the years. Let's get into it, shall we?

It's no secret that Jalen Hurts had an awesome college football career at the University of Alabama. Alas, after leading his team to the 2018 National Championship game against the University of Georgia, he fell short during the first half. His performance was so bad that head coach Nick Saban made the tough decision to bench his star player in favor of the team's backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. In the end, Tagovailoa turned the game around, ensuring a victory over the Bulldogs, 26-23. Following the victory, Hurts was relegated to the backup quarterback role while Tagovailoa ascended. Eventually, Hurts opted to transfer to the University of Oklahoma to finish out his college football career. 

All disappointment aside, Hurts was careful to use the painful moment to make him better, not bitter. He even alluded to it during the post-game Super Bowl press conference. "I'm that same kid that went to the National Championship and lost and went back and got benched and had to transfer and had to go through this just unprecedented journey," he recalled (via X, formerly Twitter). "That kid always kept the main thing, the main thing, and always was true to his vision and what he saw."

Jalen Hurts wasn't exactly given the warmest welcome when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2020, Hurts was drafted as the Eagles' second-round pick. The move was a controversial one given that the team had already secured quarterback Carson Wentz the year prior with a hefty four-year, $128 million contract. Not only were the fans angry, but it's widely rumored that Wentz was unpleased with the decision as well. "Carson was the captain of the cool kids' table. He'd treat Jalen, really one of the best guys you would ever want to meet, like he wasn't there," a source claimed (via Bleeding Green Nation). No doubt, Hurts arrival fractured his relationship with Wentz.

Sadly, Hurts wasn't oblivious to the backlash. "My first year here, I mean, they probably didn't even want to draft me here," he revealed years later during a press conference. At the time, however, Hurts seemed unfazed by the icy reception. "Jalen is ultra-focused, and he's focused on the process of how he gets better every day," the Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni gushed about his team's backup QB in 2020 (via The Guardian). "He's not focused on what his next contract might be, or what we're going to do in three weeks, or what the outcome of this season is, or anything like that."

Of course, Super Bowl LIX was not Jalen Hurts' first rodeo when it came to the big game. In 2023, Hurts found himself facing down the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII. Sadly, Hurts and the Eagles ultimately came up short that year, with the Chiefs taking home the 38-35 victory. "It's tough," Hurts told the reporters during a post-game interview about the gut-wrenching loss. Still, Hurts was determined he was going to use the experience. "You either win, or you learn," he declared.

As fate would have it, Hurts got a second chance to settle the score in 2025 when the Eagles played against the Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX. According to the quarterback, it was the last Super Bowl loss that "enhanced [his] desire to win" in 2025. "It lit a great flame in me," Hurts told reporters in the post-game interview, fresh off the victory.

For more on Super Bowl LIX, read about the worst-dressed celebrities at the game.