Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is channeling the disappointment of his Super Bowl LVII loss against the Kansas City Chiefs into motivation for the upcoming 2023 season.
Hurts has found a unique way to keep that defeat fresh in his mind – he uses a photo of himself walking off the field at State Farm Stadium, surrounded by the Chiefs’ celebratory red and yellow confetti, as the lock screen on his phone.
However, the 25-year-old recently revealed to ESPN’s Tim McManus that he would have preferred to keep this personal source of inspiration private.
“I’d rather not discuss that,” Hurts commented. “In my opinion, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to share it publicly. If it were solely up to me, I wouldn’t have made it known to anyone. That’s all I have to say about it.”
Hurts’ lock screen photo was revealed when a teammate inadvertently captured the image during an Instagram live session:
The Eagles rewarded Hurts with a five-year, $255 million contract extension in April, making him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. It’s clear that the team believes he can lead them back to another Super Bowl for the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Hurts’ teammates will follow his lead as they use the sting of last season’s defeat against Kansas City as fuel to propel them in 2023.
“He’s got one of the most incredible mindsets, work ethics,” Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert said of Hurts. “Right after the Super Bowl, he flushed that, he was ready to get to this season.”
The Eagles will continue gearing up for the upcoming campaign with their second preseason game of the year on Thursday against the Cleveland Browns.