Eagles’ Jalen Hurts says he relied on faith to overcome doubt: ‘They probably didn’t even want to draft me”

Following his dominating performance in the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC Championship Game on Sunday, quarterback Jalen Hurts revealed that there may have been a point in his career where not everyone was sold on him being the franchise’s leader. 

The Eagles clinched their first Super Bowl berth since the 2017 season with a 31-7 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

During his postgame presser, Hurts was asked to reflect on his first year in the league when former head coach Doug Pederson was ultimately fired after a 4-11-1 finish to now being Super Bowl contenders just two seasons later. 

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The former second-round draft pick took the opportunity to note that he felt that some people weren’t happy with his being in Philadelphia at the time. 

“Well my first year here, I mean, they probably didn’t even want to draft me here. Probably one of those things but it always handles itself.”

He was asked later on to elaborate on who it was that didn’t want him. Hurts avoided any specifics but did explain that his faith played a role in his perseverance. 

“I know that it was a big surprise to many. A big surprise to many. But my favorite verse – you know, I went through a lot of stuff in college and it kind of stuck with me — John 13:7 ‘You may not know now but later you’ll understand.’

“Hopefully people understand.” 

Hurts finished 15-of-25 passing for 121 yards and ran for 39, improving to 16-1 as a starter this season.

“I never knew how far we’d go,” he added, “but I never said it couldn’t be done.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.