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Jalen Hurts just wants to win Super Bowl LIX, and Alabama’s NFL legacy would benefit

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During Jalen Hurts’ four press conferences since Monday for Super Bowl LIX, the best answer to why he has the Philadelphia Eagles back in the NFL championship game for the second time in three seasons might have come on Thursday.

“I know you’re not very stats driven, but personal legacy, is that something that drives you?” Hurts was asked.

“Winning is what drives me,” Hurts said.

“Nothing more than that?” the reporter said.

“No,” Hurts responded.

But there is some legacy on the line when the Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at 5:30 p.m. CST Sunday at Caesars Stadium in New Orleans.

Hurts spent three seasons at Alabama on his way to the NFL, and he’s among four Crimson Tide quarterbacks who have been Super Bowl starters. With five, California has produced more Super Bowl-starting QBs, and Michigan with seven and Notre Dame with five have more Super Bowl victories by their former quarterbacks than Alabama’s four.

But Alabama and Purdue are the only college programs that have produced three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks – Bart Starr, Joe Namath and Ken Stabler for the Crimson Tide and Len Dawson, Bob Griese and Drew Brees for the Boilermakers – with the possibility of a fourth for Alabama on Sunday.

After playing for the Crimson Tide, Hurts spent one season at Oklahoma before joining Philadelphia as a second-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

“I went to Alabama because there was something about the process that just got me and how coach (Nick) Saban was,” Hurts said. “And, over time, I began to realize I was more like him than many people realized. And it was just a great experience of development, maturity, adversity and all of those different things.

“And I think going to Oklahoma, it was opening this new door of seeing football a different way, and being with coach (Lincoln) Riley and seeing coaching and success look a totally different way, but yet still find yourself in great territory. And so very fortunate for those experiences of my career. It gave me a ton of value, and it’s helped me get where I am today for sure in all aspects.”

RELATED: WHAT JALEN HURTS LEARNED FROM NICK SABAN

The legacy is not Hurts’ focus, but the opportunities that would create one are.

“I wouldn’t say I’m goal-oriented,” Hurts said on Wednesday. “I say I’m value-based. It’s about the values. It’s about the character you have. It’s about the daily things that you do. And so I’ve always tried to base myself in a strong foundation of being determined and having a good work ethic and put forth an effort to achieve whatever it is that I envision for myself, so you have opportunities to smell the roses when it’s all said and done.

“You sacrifice so much and put a lot of work in for this, and the fun for me comes in winning. The fun for me comes in achieving the success that I’ve set out to achieve.”

Two years ago, Philadelphia lost to Kansas City 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII, but this season’s NFL championship game isn’t a rematch to Hurts.

“I’ve always said that every team is different,” Hurts said on Thursday. “I think personally and individually for all the guys on the team, every year requires a different version of that player. And for us, we’ve got a ton of different players on our team. We’ve got a lot of young players starting and playing pivotal roles and everything. And so you just have to navigate that and find your way as a team for that year. …

“We’ve been able to play ball and be on the same page and find ways to win. And we’re just looking forward to doing that one more time.”

One thing that will be the same as in Super Bowl LVII is Hurts’ matchup against a defense designed by Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, whose unit gave up the fourth-fewest points in the NFL this season.

“It’s a great team that’s been doing it for a good minute now and led by him, Coach Spags,” Hurts said. “He’s a great coach, puts players in great positions to make plays and everybody plays hard, so you can tell that they’ve got a good thing going. They’ve been having a good thing going, been able to evolve over the years and still find ways to win and be efficient on defense, so it’ll be a great challenge.”

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley produced the NFL’s ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in 2024 and recorded 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the Eagles’ three playoff victories on the way to Super Bowl LIX. But Spagnuolo said stopping Philadelphia would require stopping Hurts.

“I don’t think you can lose sight of Saquon, but the quarterback is the key to that offense,” Spagnuolo said. “He makes the right decisions, whether it’s handing off to (Barkley) or pulling it back. We got to have our best game yet, and we got to play well as a unit and as well as we ever had to be successful against this guy.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.