Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gives himself a painful daily reminder about that Super Bowl loss — the league had better watch out in 2023.
Hey Siri, who's going to win the Super Bowl this year?
In terms of pure unfiltered motivation, it might be the Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl runners-up have the ultimate machine of revenge in 2023, and his name is Jalen Hurts.
It wasn't painful enough for Hurts to lose this past Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs on a controversial holding call. After the crushing 38-35 loss, Hurts was pictured walking off the field as red and yellow confetti decorated the air; Hurts' face was not as disappointed as it was determined, and the photo as a whole says just four words: We will be back.
Apparently, Hurts has kept that picture as his phone's lock screen probably since February. It's a terrifying fact for the Eagles' NFC rivals as well as any Super Bowl contender out there.
The third-year quarterback got paid earlier this summer, so money isn't on his mind anymore. Just revenge.
Eagles' Jalen Hurts is haunted by 2022 Super Bowl loss
Given that Hurts has a picture of his worst career defeat on his phone's lock screen, what might other NFL players have on their phones that motivate them?
We would imagine that Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, being one of the most likable players on the planet, has a picture of his family, sans Jackson. New Dolphins teammates Tyreek Hill and Eli Apple might have each other on their phones, Giants' Saquon Barkley might have a meme of that scene from Jerry Maguire, and of course, Jets' Aaron Rodgers' screen is completely dark, a picture he took during this year's isolation retreat.
Jokes and giggles aside, Hurts is heading into this season with a fire lit underneath him, eager to pay the Eagles back every penny's worth of his five-year, $255 million extension.
Having played his way to become the Eagles' franchise quarterback, he's no stranger to criticism, and he remembers, all too well, the feeling of a Lombardi Trophy slipping right out of his grasp. It takes a certain kind of mental toughness to wake up every day and look at the worst moment of your life. Jalen Hurts' redemption season and Super Bowl-winning campaign may very well be the numeric passcode to his phone: 2023.