There was a point last season when Jalen Hurts couldn’t win—even when he won. No matter how many touchdowns he accounted for, no matter how many comebacks he engineered, someone always tried to clip the shine with, “Well, look who he’s playing with.” The online crowd made it seem like Hurts was just along for the ride on the A.J. Brown–DeVonta Smith express. With Saquon Barkley doing the running game for him. Even after leading his team to a 14-3 record, the criticism didn’t slow. But Nick Sirianni had enough.
“I’m sure it’ll be the same [criticism],” Sirianni fired back before the Super Bowl. “‘Oh, he’s got great players around him.’ Well, you tell me a quarterback that’s won like this that has s— around him. It doesn’t happen, right?” Then he laid down the receipts: Joe Montana had Jerry Rice. Tom Brady had Gronk and Julian Edelman. “Sometimes I feel like it’s a negative on [Hurts]. It kind of blows your mind. He wins. He’s a winner. I don’t want anyone else leading us other than Jalen Hurts.”
Then Hurts showed why. On the biggest stage, against Patrick Mahomes and the defending champs, Hurts balled like a man possessed. In SB LIX, he completed 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns with a 119.7 rating. He ran for 72 more yards and another score. He was composed, deadly accurate, and fully in control. That night, he joined Nick Foles as the only Eagles QB to win Super Bowl MVP. The guy Sirianni said was a winner became the winner. And then? Silence.
After dropping one reel from the victory parade on February 16, Hurts vanished from the digital world. Well, for a detox. A timeout. Just vibes. For 61 days. But behind the scenes, he wasn’t ducking the spotlight—he was sharpening his edge. Back home in Houston, Hurts hit the field at Channelview High with his brother Averion. Quiet. Intentional. Putting in the work. On April 18, he reemerged with two images: one mid-throw, the other in the gym. The caption? “Keep The Main Thing… #BREEDOF1.” So, Philly’s chef is back to business.
Then something weird—and maybe a little iconic—happened. Jerry Rice slid into the comments. “Hit me back GOAT,” he wrote. That’s not just some fan-favorite throwing fire emojis. That’s the all-time leader in receiving yards (22,895 yds)—a 49ers legend—asking for Hurts’ attention.
Was it playful? Maybe. But Jerry doesn’t throw words around. Especially not “GOAT.” Maybe it’s a respect thing. Maybe he wants to collab. Or maybe he’s telling the Hurts haters to look beyond the bandwagon. After all, Rice has publicly praised Hurts before—his poise, his creativity, his resilience.
And look, this isn’t just a Hall of Famer giving a shoutout. It feels like something more layered. Hurts is just back on social media witha statement—that his work’s not done. So, Rice is maybe cosigning that mindset. Because if he’s hitting the gym already, then that’s a warning for the rest of the league.
One SB MVP is all it took for Jalen Hurts to become the poster-boy
Jalen Hurts is the man of the moment, right now. One who took the fight to New Orleans walked away with a ring and a tape to his critics mouth. And now, somehow, he’s found time to sneak into TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list like it was just another checkdown. If this is what “Year 5” looks like, you almost feel bad for opposing DCs trying to scheme this guy out of games. Almost.
TIME didn’t just pick Hurts because he’s good at football. That’s table stakes. It’s what came after—what always seems to come after with him—that had people talking. “We connected shortly after [the Super Bowl], and the only thing he asked about was insight on going back and winning again,” Derek Jeter wrote in his tribute. That’s coming from Jeter, not exactly someone who hands out compliments like candy. And that line? “Jalen is not exhaling.” That’s the part. That’s the difference.
Since 2022, Hurts has been defining winning. But don’t worry, we have got the numbers to back it up: 105 total touchdowns, 10,000+ total yards, and a win percentage pushing .800. And let’s not forget: 52 of those TDs came on the ground. Basically, saying, Hurts doesn’t just make plays—he drags his team to the end zone with him. Ask Kansas City. They’re still trying to figure out how he dropped 72 rushing yards again on the biggest stage.
But here’s what really cements Hurts in that “poster-boy” tier. The dude shows up for more than just games. Women’s sports? He’s there. High school flag football? He’s hyping it up. Plus, he’s the global ambassador for flag football in the 2028 Olympics. And when Philly schools needed air conditioning, he made it happen through his foundation’s “Keep it Cool” campaign. That’s why Philly loves him. And they’d continue to do so.
The post Ignored 49ers Legend Jerry Rice Asks for Jalen Hurts’ Attention With a Strong Demand as Eagles QB Ends 61-Day Hiatus appeared first on EssentiallySports.
