At the far end of the NovaCare Complex practice facility in early June, Jalen Hurts was a shadowy, solitary figure casually flinging passes in a blue sweatsuit and faded blue throwback Montreal Expos cap.

Yet, the focus of the hundreds of people gathered there seemed to be the players on the Eagles’ practice fields in front them, a handful of girls’ flag football teams playing for the respective Pennsylvania and New Jersey Flag Football Championships. No one actually noticed the Super Bowl MVP until he came over to one of the main fields to watch.

Once fixed in, Hurts stayed to watch the semifinal and championship rounds. Hurts has become the face of the NFL’s flag football initiative, promoting the arrival of men’s and women’s flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and who knows, maybe one day winning an Olympic gold medal as the quarterback for Team USA’s first flag football team.

For now, Hurts will laud over the kingdom of the Philadelphia Eagles fanbase.

So far, he’s been a good king.

It’s taken a few years, but Hurts is gradually coming out of his guarded shell. On this particular day, Sunday, June 1, the Eagles’ franchise quarterback was very generous with his time, incredibly approachable, incredibly accommodating, and incredibly transparent. One of the coaches, who also knows a former area star high school quarterback that Hurts is mentoring, approached Hurts to ask if he had heard anything recently from their mutual friend. At first, a security officer tried to brush off the coach, but Hurts waved off the security guard and approached the coach.

“That was impressive,” the coach came away saying. “You see and hear all the time about these star athletes taking the time mentoring kids, when they don’t invest any real time with them at all. They do it because it makes them look good. Jalen knew everything about (the kid) I coached and asked me if he was thinking of transferring schools. He even knew the schools the kid was thinking about. He told me to make sure to check on a few things, which also impressed me, because it told me Jalen knows the kid.

“When the same kid tried approaching a particular basketball star in this city, he was royally blown off, and you know who I am referring to. Hurts spoke to him. I know he speaks to numerous kids in the area. You could see that he’s genuinely investing in the area. I will say one thing: I don’t know if I’d suggest to anyone that they shake his hand or hug the man. His hand is like a vice grip. It was like hugging a piece of steel. It’s like bullets could bounce off that guy.”

A few years ago, Hurts may not have allowed people to enter his personal sphere like that.

Maybe it was seeing a different side of himself that he is allowing the public to see, after seeing his reflection in the Super Bowl LIX trophy through a puff of cigar smoke. Maybe it’s because he is settling into who he is, as a leader, on and off the field, that a new approachable Hurts is surfacing.

Hurts was once considered an obstacle to the Eagles’ success, until he wasn’t. He was at the core of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX championship. He gave up a huge chunk of his game for the greater good. He was willing to accept a more limited role in the offense behind Saquon Barkley, and when needed, he responded. After winning the NFC Championship, 55-23, over Washington, Hurts said snarkily about the game plan “they let me out of my straitjacket a little bit today.” Nick Sirianni claimed Hurts was joking. The eventual Super Bowl MVP wasn’t.

In the NFC Championship, he ran for three touchdowns, completed 20-of-28 passes for 246 yards and another score. He threw for over 200 yards 10 times last season and threw for over 200 yards 11 times in 2023, which included four 300-yard games. He threw for over 300 yards once last season, while throwing 452 passes. In 2023, he threw 538 times in the regular season alone. In 2024, he threw a career-low 361 passes as a fulltime starter during the regular season.

In 2023, he had seven-straight games in which he threw for 200 yards or more. In 2024, his longest 200-yard streak of games was four.

After the NFC championship, Hurts said, “I don’t play the game for stats. I don’t play the game for numbers, any statistical approval from anyone else. And I understand that everyone has a preconceived notion on how they want it to look, or how they expect it to look. I told you guys that winning, success, is defined by that particular individual, and it’s all relative to the person. And what I define it as is winning. So, the number one goal is always to come out here and win.”

Off the field, Hurts made a concerted effort to blend in with his teammates, a major improvement over previous seasons, which was reported here. Last offseason, Hurts was omnipresent. He was more demonstrative. He was far, far more accessible. In the weight room, he made it a point to work out with various position groups, in there encouraging everyone. He showed up at teammate’s functions that he previously did not.

His teammates noticed.

They want to play for the guy. Fans want to support him.

His 2025 football face is on again. He wore it proudly on the first day of training camp on Wednesday. He’s back to compartmentalizing.

“I’ve moved on,” Hurts said, when asked about Super Bowl LIX. “I’ve moved on to the new year. It’s as simple as that. It was a moment and that moment is behind us. It’s a blank canvas. And we are who we are. We have who we have. And regardless, whether you win a championship or lose a championship, the next year, you have to be able to reset, have the right focus, and pursue it with great intensity, great passion. I think that’s where we are. We have a new team, new individuals, and we have a tight-knit core that’s been here throughout time.”

The Eagles return 10 of their 11 Super Bowl starters this season, with Tyler Steen replacing free agent Mekhi Becton at right guard. Since 2022, Hurts is 37-10 as a starter, with an NFL-best .787 winning percentage, with two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl championship, behind only Patrick Mahomes (39-10, .796). Overall, Hurts is 46-20 (.697) as a starter, which puts him No. 7 all-time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Evolving “helps when you win,” Hurts said. “So, I do feel a sense of intensity from (new offensive coordinator) Coach Kevin (Patullo) and Coach Nick. It’s something that’s great to see. I feel a bit encouraged and pushed to take the bulls by the horn in terms of what we are and who we are offensively. And kind of having a full grasp of it, so everybody’s on the same page and I can represent everyone appropriately in what we are as an offense on the field.”

The doubts appear gone.

It’s good to be the good king.