"Mixture of Kobe Bryant and Beyoncé" - Jalen Hurts' agent heaps praise for Eagles QB after landing monstrous extension
QB Jalen Hurts has become a mega-millionaire like Beyonce and Kobe Bryant after agreeing to a five-year, $255 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The deal makes him the highest-paid player in the league in terms of annual average value. But to his agent, Klutch Sports Group’s Nicole Lynn, Hurts’ comparison with the "Black Mamba" and “Queen Bey” goes beyond money.
Lynn even further proclaimed that the Eagles’ starting quarterback is a fusion of those two legends. The newly-promoted Klutch Sports president of football said in an article by Essence Magazine’s Danyel Smith:
“He’s a mixture of Kobe Bryant and Beyoncé. Jalen gives you so little in public. Even when you’re talking to him, you want more. You don’t really know him. He’s not intentionally secretive but naturally has this elusive I need to know. I need more. That’s Beyoncé. It makes you wanna know them. It makes you wanna root for them.”
Breaking news: Jalen Hurts has just Touched Down as our May/June cover star. #ESSENCE https://t.co/0tYRjqdHE8
As for the Kobe Bryant comparison, Lynn said:
“Jalen’s got the Kobe obsessive work ethic. Shooting for greatness. And never satisfied.”
The negotiations for Jalen Hurts’ contract extension came at the right time. Last season, he led the Philadelphia Eagles to a franchise-best 14 regular-season victories. The former Alabama and Oklahoma standout finished with 3,701 passing yards, 760 rushing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, and 13 rushing scores.
The Eagles also reached Super Bowl LVII but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Still, his efforts throughout the season earned him a Pro Bowl and a Second Team All-Pro selection, both his first. He was also one of the five finalists for the 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player Award, eventually won by Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.
Kobe Bryant’s profound influence on Jalen Hurts
While Lynn shared a brief comparison between the two athletes, the influence of the five-time NBA champion on Hurts runs deep. Though the Texas native rarely shows emotion, he was cheerful when Kobe Bryant showed up at the University of Alabama training camp in 2018. The 2008 NBA MVP spoke to Jalen Hurts and the rest of the Crimson Tide:
“If you want to do something excellent, you have to be excellent all the time. It’s a way of life. It’s not just I show up on Monday and be excellent.”
Hurts responded to that motivating nugget:
“Kobe just gave me that power.”
Notably, he would go on to need that power to stay ready and regain the starting quarterback role he lost to Tua Tagovailoa. Hurts was benched at halftime during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game the year before. Tagovailoa led Alabama to victory despite a 13-0 deficit after two quarters.
But while Tagovailoa eventually overtook him for good, Jalen Hurts remained committed to working on his game. His opportunity finally came when he filled in for an injured Tagovailoa during the 2018 SEC Championship Game. Hurts led the Crimson Tide to a come-from-behind victory over Georgia.
Jalen Hurts also channeled the "Mamba Mentality" to prepare for the 2020 NFL Draft. He said when KHOU 11’s Matt Musil asked about the best part of his build-up for the draft:
“The self-reflection, I say. Being able to take your place before this journey, this new journey begins. I’m about the opportunity to read up on a guy that I have a lot of respect for, Kobe Bryant. Rest in peace to him.”
"Learning more about him, the competitor that he is, and what he was, he’s done them and made me better throughout his quarantine. Reading up on him, watching videos or games even, the competitive nature he had, I admire it all.”
Hurts brought in that competitiveness when he wore a jacket depicting Bryant’s high school jersey for their 2021 Week 10 game against the Denver Broncos. The Eagles won that game thanks to Hurts’ two touchdown passes to DeVonta Smith.
Jalen Hurts rockin Kobe Bryant Lower Merion jacket arriving in Denver 🔥🔥
Nick Sirianni preached the Mamba Mentality and showed Eagles Kobe video in team meeting this week https://t.co/HyB72HTRkV
Coincidentally, Jalen Hurts will star in the city where the LA Lakers legend first started gaining national recognition. But while Kobe's legend eventually shone brightly in Los Angeles, Hurts will have a chance to bring championship glory to his hero’s hometown.