April 2, 2021. For some it may be a regular day, but for Jalen Hurts it represents change.
It was the day Jalen Hurts changed his number, removing the number two (previously bestowed in greatness by Eagles legend Matt Barkley David Akers). Hurts would opt to go with number one, previously worn by former Eagles punter Cam Johnston.
Of course, much is known of the history behind Hurts and his beloved number two. Hurts grew up watching his older brother, Averion Hurts Jr., wear the number back during his days at Channelview High School deep in the heart of Texas. Hurts carried the number into college throughout his trials and tribulations at the University of Alabama before transferring to Oklahoma and being forced into a number change.
“I always grew up wearing No. 2 because of my brother. I always wore No. 2 but when I went to Oklahoma, obviously CeeDee Lamb wore No. 2, and he offered to give me the number but I didn’t want it, too much respect for him as a player so I ended up wearing No. 1 and I liked how it looked on me so I kept it. So I told myself when I got drafted I would wear No. 1 before I wore No. 2 and my first year I had to wear No. 2 but I was just waiting for No. 1 to open up. Hurts said when asked about the change.
However, the number change both at Oklahoma and in Philadelphia seemed to represent a transformation of sorts for Hurts.
In an arc of storytelling that could only make sense in dare I say…wrestling?
Think about it as Jalen Hurts in the number 2 as a face (the good guy) — the battle-tested hero, never to be outworked or outmatched no matter the results. This is the same guy who refused to leave Tuscaloosa, even after losing the quarterback battle to Tua Tagoviola. The same guy who walked through adversity like John Cena at One Night Stand 2006, en route to unseating Carson Wentz as QB1 in Philadelphia.
Hurts in the number two represents all that is good, the epitome of what we like to call the process. But, Jalen Hurts in the number one? Buddy, that’s a full-blown heel. Or as the late, great Scott Hall would say, The Bad Guy. A player driven by a villain origin story, determined to crush every opposition on his path en route to taking what they believe is rightfully theirs.
Leaving the field following the Eagles’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, like many Eagles fans, Hurts heard the whispers. Those same whispers would become intensified screams by the time the off-season was said and done.
On a team full of expectations, the belief seemed to be pretty somber in the man that donned the number one midnight green jersey. Of course, no matter what your initial thoughts were on Hurts, I’m not sure anyone was able to foresee what was to come.
We can discuss his 2022 campaign that saw the Eagles hold a 16-2 record in games Hurts played in and Hurts himself rack up a smorgasbord of individual accomplishments among them; Second-Team AP All-Pro, MVP runner-up and Hurts became the second youngest quarterback in league history to win 14 games in a single season, yet despite all that went well last season, it would have been almost too poetic for Hurts and the Eagles to cap the year off with a title.
Even after everything he’s been through up until this point, let’s remember, this is Philadelphia and not even Rocky was a fairytale. There’s another chapter waiting to be written here, and like Cody Rhodes (wrestling fans will get it); Jalen Hurts must finish the story.
“Everybody aspires to be the best and works to be the best, but ultimately you have to find some separation. And that’s the thrill. There’s a thrill in not being satisfied and there’s a thrill in being on this journey, and I have embraced that. I love this game and I know my purpose within this game. I truly just want to be intentional. ... So every day I just try to be the best that I can be and that is not based off of external factors. Those things don’t matter. You just try and control what you can.” Jalen Hurts via the AP Pro Football Podcast with Rob Maaddi
History has proven that Jalen Hurts is up to the task, given the fact that he has routinely gotten better with each season dating back to his high school days. This time, however, new challenges present themselves.
Challenges like the Eagles dealing with new coordinators on both sides of the ball, or the team integrating a bevy of younger players following the departure of key veterans at multiple positions.
Yet perhaps the most challenging will be the fact that Hurts could possibly become a member of an odd trend. The last 17 quarterbacks to lose their Super Bowl debut haven’t made it back, at least as a starter. A list that includes names such as Joe Burrow, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, and Philadelphia’s own Donovan McNabb.
Of course with both Hurts and Burrow being on the younger side, there is more than enough time for either one or even both to conquer this beast. However, this task has proven to be easier said than done.
Of the 35 quarterbacks in league history to lose their Super Bowl debut, only six have made it back; and of those six only three have won.
Jalen Hurts understands not just the opportunity that he and the Eagles have in front of them, but the adversaries that could stand in the way. Even with Hurts playing one of the best games we’ve ever seen from a quarterback in the Super Bowl in his own right, Philadelphia has openly stated a belief that he can be even better, which he just may have to be in order to top Tribal Chiefs over in Kansas City.
This brings me to the best thing about ‘heel’ Hurts; where Hurts in the number two jersey is the epitome of the process — Hurts in the number one jersey is the face of results.
An unquenched thirst to be better, it often reminds me of my favorite Hurts quote about himself.
“I just want to continue to take steps every day, I want to be the best version of myself. There’s no ceiling on my game; there isn’t a cap. So, just continue to take steps.”
What the rest of the story has in store for Hurts and company? The world will have to wait and see. But if the encore is anywhere near as good as its original; the reign of Hurts could truly be upon us.
Cover Image Credit: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
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