- 1 week ago
GQ’s Zach Baron sits down for a tête-à-tête with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the heart of Philadelphia. The 2025 Super Bowl MVP opens up about being misunderstood, the A.J. Brown drama and navigating the emotions of his first Super Bowl loss—and how that propelled him towards his 2025 win.
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00:00A legitimate criticism of Jalen Hurts is that he doesn't show a lot of vulnerability, ever.
00:06Fair criticism?
00:07Is that criticism?
00:09I guess that's my question.
00:22It's a bad feeling when the man you're about to play pool with has his own pool cue.
00:29Don't be affected by that.
00:33Normally, I do these in chairs.
00:35Yeah.
00:36We're sitting down, we're gazing into each other's eyes, and you look like we're playing pool.
00:41Well, I want to do something that I do.
00:47I just like the challenge of the game.
00:50It's a lot similar to a lot of the things that we do, you know?
00:54In what way?
00:56You know, I compare it to quarterback.
00:58I think there's a science to it.
01:00There's a component where you get on the table, and we may play this game, and you may think you
01:09may not have a shot.
01:11When in reality, there's always a shot on the table.
01:14So, I think about that at the quarterback position where you're always trying to solve the piece to a puzzle.
01:20You're always trying to connect the dots and make it right.
01:25We can't keep standing here.
01:26You got to break.
01:27I'm just going to let you do the honors.
01:28No, no, no.
01:29My game is finesse is not velocity.
01:31That has nothing to do with the break.
01:34Either you know how to strike it or don't.
01:37All right.
01:37See?
01:38I'm going to set you up right here.
01:39Oh, okay, okay.
01:40You go.
01:41Okay.
01:42All right, here we go.
01:46You've done this before.
01:48Um, so I should confess something to you before we go any further, which is that I'm like a degenerate
01:55Eagles fan.
01:57And I'm sorry about that.
01:59We're just going to have to work through it together, you know, maintain my professionalism.
02:05But, you know, it just, I grew up in this town where we are right now.
02:09And, um, yeah, we're going to work through it together.
02:12It's nothing to work through.
02:13You know, it's a, it's a great city.
02:15It's a great city.
02:16You come from a great place.
02:18I appreciate that.
02:19A passionate place.
02:19I appreciate it.
02:20A gritty place.
02:21I'm sure you have those qualities.
02:24I'm sure.
02:25You're very kind to say it.
02:27Do I?
02:28Do you?
02:28You're about to find out.
02:29So when we were playing pool before, right at the end, you were talking about, I don't
02:35want to say idols, but people that you looked up to or who were models for you.
02:38You mentioned Jordan and it made me think of something.
02:41Because Jordan is a famous, like, show no weakness guy.
02:46And sometimes I think about you.
02:48Like we were talking about, I'm an Eagles fan.
02:50I listen to too many podcasts and a beat writer was on.
02:52Guy, I respect and I think respects you.
02:54And he said, a legitimate criticism of Jalen Hurts is that he doesn't show a lot of vulnerability.
03:01Ever.
03:03Fair criticism?
03:05Is that criticism?
03:07I guess that's my question.
03:09It's not about showing weakness or projecting yourself as someone who's strong.
03:14It's about doing a thing that can't be denied.
03:17So when you're able to filter through how you feel and define how you feel and then find solutions and
03:23do something about it, that's being active towards it.
03:27That's a very second order way to feel that.
03:30That's like almost like you're looking above yourself at your own feelings and being like,
03:33alright, that one we're going to process into this, this one we're going to process into this.
03:37But it's like not just feeling the feeling, you know what I'm saying?
03:41I think there's a, I think that it is exactly what you're saying it's not.
03:45You know, I think everybody just has a different grace period.
03:48Everybody has a different process and period of how they process something, how they process a set of emotions.
03:55And then their process and their posture and the systems they rely on to actually find solutions in it and
04:02manage it.
04:02Everybody's process is different.
04:04Mine has just always been that way.
04:07Yeah.
04:07Very internal, basically.
04:09Yeah.
04:09Yeah.
04:11Would you describe yourself?
04:12And again, we really don't know each other.
04:14You and I have discussed, I have an impression of you at a distance.
04:18Would you describe yourself as an introvert?
04:21Well, what is an introvert, you know?
04:24Someone who keeps themselves, someone who is not necessarily a huge people person.
04:30Is that an introvert?
04:32That would be my definition.
04:33That's your definition of introvert.
04:35Yeah.
04:37I would say, I would say, yeah.
04:40Here's what I'm curious.
04:41Because I think the job of quarterback, inherently social job, right?
04:45Like literal leader of men, communicator.
04:50Do you ever feel, okay, like my personality tends towards introverted.
04:56Do you ever feel the contradiction between that and like what your job ended up being?
05:02I think it's evolved over time, you know, because when I was a younger player, when I was coming into
05:07college and, you know, starting as a freshman, it was a different time where it was very straightforward and earning
05:16the respect of the guys around you.
05:18You earned it by your actions.
05:20You earned it by your actions.
05:21You earned it by what you prove to them and the respect that you earn.
05:25As you grow, you know, there's a mystique and an outside perspective or a narrative that's built.
05:33And it's not a lot of times built by the person himself, but by what other people project or interpret
05:41from that.
05:43And so my perspective, my approach hasn't necessarily differed in terms of what's priority, but I am mindful of how
05:54the things around me have changed.
05:57Do you act differently because of that?
05:59Do you act differently because of that?
05:59I always want to go earn the respect of my teammates about my actions and what I do and how
06:03I perform and the work ethic that I show, it's the actions.
06:08You know, Coach Saban would always say, what you do speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you say.
06:14Well, you say I'm an introvert.
06:18I say I'm about action.
06:20I'm about doing the things that are required to win.
06:23And so I think that's to one's interpretation.
06:29But, you know, you never go wrong doing the thing that can't be denied.
06:33And given the things that I've experienced, the great coaches that I've had, the many perspectives and voices that I've
06:39had in my area, all of those things have led to me being a more focused individual, a more determined
06:45person and a more mission driven person.
06:49And so all of those things run together.
06:52But, you know, it's easy for one to say something, you know, in the end and that's unstable in itself.
07:01Sure, but I think, I think when you don't explain yourself, and you were saying this yourself, people like project,
07:07people make assumptions.
07:08What is there to explain?
07:10There's always something to explain, you know?
07:12Why?
07:14I mean, I think, I think this is the attitude I'm asking about.
07:18And when I say attitude, I don't mean it in like a bad way.
07:20I mean it like an orientation towards life.
07:22But I honestly want to know why.
07:24I think sometimes people, I was saying to you before, and I want to form it as a question rather
07:30than a statement.
07:30But I was saying to you before, I was like, I don't feel like you're a very well understood individual.
07:35And I don't feel like, but I would turn the question towards you.
07:38I would say, do you feel like you're well understood?
07:41I think it's very easy to understand.
07:45You know, I hear what you're saying from your perspective and the point that you're coming from.
07:49You know, when you talk about someone understanding something, an object, or a person.
07:56Mm-hmm.
07:57I think people want to understand, like a fan of the team, or probably even a teammate at times.
08:02Those things are subjective.
08:03But I think, I think, well, a fan is in one category, a teammate is another.
08:07But both of them probably like, I sit around thinking about what does my boss think?
08:11You know, there's got to be like somebody on your team that's like, what does my quarterback think about me?
08:14You know what I'm saying?
08:16Yeah.
08:17Let's, let's win.
08:20And there's, there's recipes to go, go do that.
08:23You build.
08:24Yeah.
08:25You build the relationships.
08:26You go through hard things together.
08:29You experiences, you experience the joys, the triumph, and then the, the shortcomings and the missteps.
08:36And you grow from that.
08:37And, you know, everybody that's on that team, you think that they have great passion for what they do.
08:43And that always triumphs, if it's true.
08:51What you thinking right now?
08:53What am I thinking right now?
08:54Yeah.
08:55I'm thinking this is a remarkably deliberate process and I would have hit a ball like 30 seconds ago.
08:59If I'm telling you the truth.
09:01Yeah.
09:01Why, why is that?
09:03Because I'm an impatient human being.
09:05I don't even really know how to characterize the last Eagle season.
09:10How would you describe it?
09:11As a fan or?
09:12No, as a, as a man who played in every single one of those games.
09:16Yeah.
09:16Yeah.
09:17It was a, it was a, it was a season of learning.
09:21It was a season of experiences.
09:22I believe a season of formative experiences.
09:25That's what I've always called them.
09:27You know, you, you go into it and sometimes I forget about what has happened before because honestly, it doesn't
09:36matter if you continue to press on.
09:38You got to carry the lessons from those things.
09:41You got to be able to manage the emotions throughout your experiences and just continue to pursue their excellence.
09:51Um, you know, the goal was coming in and off of winning the championship and saying, okay, let's go do
10:00this again.
10:01And you learn about how critical things are, how important the little things are, the details and, um, the importance
10:16of a team playing together, working together.
10:24You know, having structure, having all of the things that you need to play fishing ball.
10:28And so, you know, it was a, it was a test.
10:33It was a test for us, but I think it's something that taught me a lot.
10:43Slow down girl.
10:46In the aftermath of the season, like there's the usual, like apportioning of blame, right?
10:51Yeah.
10:52And like, you know, some people blame your offensive coordinator and he, you know, you have a new one now.
10:57Yeah.
10:58Some people blame AJ Brown and he's since been traded, you know, and then there's people blame you, right?
11:04I know you don't read reporting about yourself.
11:08This is something.
11:08Am I right about this?
11:09Yeah.
11:10Yeah.
11:11So I was trying to think about how best to summarize this.
11:13Cause I'm like, I know he hasn't read it, but I think if I could best summarize it, the blame
11:18that fell to you was like, the offense looks the way you want it to look.
11:22Yeah.
11:23And it didn't look great all the time last year.
11:26And that's on Jalen.
11:29Fair criticism.
11:32I take ownership because it's my job.
11:35You know, it's, it's my responsibility.
11:36My, my job.
11:38I've always saw the perspective of sorry from a perspective of go out there and lead the team and find
11:46a way to win the game most importantly.
11:48And so, you know, we're going to be judged off of that.
11:52And I think accountability and ownership and responsibility, you know, those are all important factors.
12:01When you play the quarterback position, you have to have those qualities.
12:04You have to be able to own it.
12:09You got to be able to respond.
12:11You have to be able to be resilient.
12:14You know, like winning and losing doesn't really care about feelings.
12:19It's about doing what needs to be done.
12:22You know, the game is an honest game.
12:24And so there's sometimes where you figure it out.
12:27There's sometimes where you don't.
12:29But in my eyes, I never look at anything as a, as a failure necessarily, if you take action and
12:39being able to learn from it.
12:40Right.
12:41But like, do you have like an opinion on the claim of like, hey, it looked the way that way
12:44because he wanted it to look like, you know, the truth of that.
12:47No, I don't.
12:47I don't.
12:48It comes with the territory of it.
12:50You know, there's a price for leadership.
12:51There's a price you pay when you have the responsibilities I have.
12:56And so I just own those things.
12:58You know, those things, those things don't, you know, change or make me waver.
13:06Well, I saw that and I'm like, he's the coach's son, right?
13:09Because the implication is like, coaches want it one way and the other wants another.
13:13I'm like, isn't like, like, yeah, you're laughing, right?
13:16Yeah.
13:16Because you, you, you've been coach your entire life.
13:18Yeah.
13:19Yeah.
13:19Um, yeah, I mean, I'm a coach's kid.
13:22I know I come from structure.
13:25You know, my, my father means everything to me and has meant everything to my development and my upbringing and,
13:32you know, my values and the principles that I carry.
13:35And so those are all things that have been constant.
13:38Those are the things that have been able to push me to excel that have allowed me to feel triumph
13:46and then allow me to overcome and have a sense of resolve about myself and rise above many challenges.
13:54And so it's not about placing blame and it's not about proving anyone wrong.
14:00There's a point in time where I used to say, it's not about proving anybody wrong.
14:05It's about proving myself.
14:06Right.
14:07Well, I, my position on that is a little different now because it's really about just continuing the mission, continue
14:16the mission work and continue the mission.
14:21Yeah.
14:21I mean, that's one of those things is, I, I said this to you earlier, we were talking, I'm going
14:26to continue the mission right here.
14:29See if I can do this.
14:36You had a quote, I think it was two years ago after a game, you said, the offense is going
14:41to look the way Jalen Hurts wants to look.
14:43Right after a game, thoughts are scrambled.
14:46Is that like something that you, like when you said that, what did you mean by it?
14:51And do you feel like you still stand by it?
14:52So that was actually something I said during a week, during my press conference, preparing for a game.
14:59And the reality is, you know, I've always had to adjust to the change, you know, in the voice in
15:05my ear, the play caller, quarterback coach in the room.
15:09And those are the challenges that I've always embraced.
15:13I've always welcomed it.
15:15I've always sought to get hip to hip with the coaches so they can teach me and, and in many
15:23ways, store it where I'm supposed to go and give me good direction.
15:27And, you know, you get to a point where you see so much change going on around you.
15:35You see that you're, you know, the constant.
15:40And that goes for a lot of my teammates as well.
15:43The teammates, yeah.
15:44Yeah.
15:44You navigate that and it's, it comes from a place of taking responsibility and ownership for the reality that you
15:51touch the ball every play.
15:54You've got the fate of the city in your hands.
15:57Yup, yup.
15:58And that's, that within myself, you know, I have to be able to discern.
16:07I have to be able to study and prep and rep.
16:13Yeah.
16:14I think people take it literally.
16:15People are like, okay.
16:16All these different things to try and just go out there and find a way to win because that's the
16:20mission.
16:21Yeah.
16:21And so I can see how that's something that's, you know, that was taken literally.
16:26Yeah.
16:26At the same time, you know, I said what I said and there's no retracting, you know, what I said.
16:32Well, it's clarifying.
16:33Yeah.
16:33Well, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's the ultimate team game.
16:36Yeah.
16:37And I think it's just from the perspective of truly taking ownership.
16:40I've always admired those who have taken ownership for the things that they don't control.
16:45They can't control.
16:46I have nothing to do with that, but you know what?
16:49I have a humility about myself to say, Hey, no, I could have been better right here.
16:54I could, I could do that.
16:55And I think that's, that's where that comes from.
16:58Um, hang on.
17:01There you go.
17:03Losing season, some mildly critical articles after the season.
17:07You know, I think, I guess I'm asking about the response to that.
17:10Well, the responses is to go out there and work.
17:13Yeah.
17:14Go out there and prepare, go out there and work, anchor down and go perform.
17:18And that's where the focus always is.
17:20And ultimately go win.
17:22You know, I think there's definitely a, um, we might have to sit down and talk about this.
17:29Yeah.
17:29I was about to say, let me bust your ass real quick though.
17:32All right.
17:33I was saying this to you before off camera where I think part of the thing is that people
17:39like to put everyone in a narrative, particularly an athlete.
17:42Right.
17:43And I think an interesting thing about you and your career is that people have never found
17:49like a tidy story to tell about it.
17:51You know, I think for a while it was, you were an underdog.
17:54Right.
17:55And that was kind of based on your experience at Alabama and the national championship game.
17:59And you get benched in that game and you have to build yourself back as a player, as a person.
18:06And first of all, like, what was that like to have to do that?
18:10Well, you said something key there and you were talking about building yourself back up,
18:15you know, reinventing yourself.
18:17Well, you usually have to reinvent something when something changes.
18:20Yeah.
18:21And I've endured change in all spaces.
18:29And I've had to adjust to be able to find success.
18:35But it's always an ongoing thing of having to reinvent myself because I'm always working with someone new.
18:44You know, the teams change every year in this league.
18:49And you just got to grow and evolve.
18:52And I think that's the, you know, before getting to that specific point about the game.
18:58I think that's the that's the most important thing in this.
19:02And I think that's the that's one of the things that drives me.
19:06Because it's just a constant quest.
19:08It's kind of like shooting pool and there's always a shot on the table.
19:11How do I figure this out?
19:12You know, the amount of taking away, you know, my childhood experiences and what I've been exposed to as a
19:19coach's kid and.
19:20What the game has showed me.
19:23The moments that I've shared with the game.
19:27I mean, I mean, the amount of head coaches, OCs, defensive coordinators, past sports champions, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Hall
19:36of Fame players that I've reached out to just to try and get a nugget of information just to improve.
19:40That's for growth.
19:41That's for consistency.
19:43That is for a pursuit of excellence.
19:46And that's always been useful for me.
19:48It's always been very helpful.
19:50I'm always asking myself, how do I show up and be the best that I can be for the team
19:55today?
19:55How do I do my job to the best of my abilities so we can win on this day?
20:02You know, and that's, that's always been helpful.
20:05So it's, it all runs together.
20:08You've alluded a couple of times to different coaches, different coordinators.
20:13This year, sixth offensive coordinator?
20:17Is that?
20:18No, I don't count.
20:19I don't count anymore.
20:20But it's, it's been a bunch.
20:21And I feel like in the past you've alluded to like, it's not, this level of change is not easy.
20:28How do you feel about it?
20:31I'm where I am.
20:32Yeah.
20:33You know, I embrace it as it comes in.
20:36Yeah.
20:37One thing that will be very different is A.J. Brown traded.
20:41We talked about it before.
20:42That will make, I imagine the team feel very different and the offense feel very different.
20:48You imagine?
20:49I guess I'm asking.
20:52Yeah.
20:52I mean, you can't replace the greatness that we have achieved and, you know, the presence
20:57and the success that he's had on the field.
21:02But we've got to go to work.
21:06What happened there from your perspective?
21:11As far as what?
21:12As far as him ultimately wanting to be traded and wanting to leave the team.
21:16Because it seems like that's what happened.
21:21I mean, it's a, it's a game where, you know, we've all got to have a shared mission.
21:28We all got to, you know, be in pursuit of the collective.
21:31And, you know, it's not something I can speak on from his behalf.
21:36But I can tell you my focus has always been to pursue the mission.
21:45He gave an interview and said he was surprised about the amount of scrutiny that your relationship got.
21:53Meaning the friendship between you guys.
21:55Yeah.
21:56And he said, like, we grew apart.
21:58He just, like, said it straight up.
22:02Do you feel the same way?
22:03Do you feel like you guys grew apart?
22:08Well, I think, you know, the reality of the scrutiny that, you know, we get, it's, you know, it's what
22:15we gave him.
22:16So, there's, there's a practical approach that I see, comes with the territory of it.
22:23What do you mean?
22:24Came with the territory of being in that light in the beginning.
22:28So.
22:28Telling that story of a friendship.
22:29Yeah.
22:30Yeah.
22:30It was great.
22:31Yeah.
22:32And then it's like, if you guys aren't as close, all of a sudden, everybody's like, hey, but you guys
22:36were talking about it or whatever.
22:39That's what you mean.
22:40Yeah.
22:40There's no surprise that it was talked about.
22:42Yeah.
22:43Yeah.
22:43But I asked if you guys, if you felt like you grew apart.
22:50I mean, clearly.
22:52Yeah.
22:52You know?
22:53Yeah.
22:53One exciting thing for me as an Eagles nerd, Devontae Smith, wide receiver number one.
23:02I don't know, is that, this is a nerdy question, but does that excite you too?
23:07You know, that that's like the main guy you're throwing to now?
23:14I mean, what excites me is to, I mean, Smith is an amazing player.
23:18Yeah.
23:19I've got great confidence in him.
23:23You know, we come from the same foundation, always been very cohesive.
23:30So we've built great chemistry over time and it's been fun seeing him grow and, you know, have an opportunity
23:37to see his continued growth.
23:40But I think in hindsight, you know, it's bigger than one individual player.
23:45It's bigger than one individual dynamic.
23:48It's about the team.
23:49Now I can focus on destroying you.
23:52Focus.
23:54Your foot on the ground.
23:56It was.
23:56It was.
23:57Here, watch this.
24:01There you go.
24:07What's funny?
24:08I would talk trash right now, but I'm just too afraid.
24:10Some people call me a cheater.
24:13Who in your life has the courage to call you a cheater?
24:17Probably the people that lose.
24:20We were talking about the underdog thing before, and I was thinking the Alabama thing gets talked about a lot,
24:25but I think about the draft a lot.
24:30You know, you're drafted in the second round to a team that has an established quarterback.
24:35Basically drafted as a backup, right?
24:37Mm-hmm.
24:38Were you like disappointed in that moment?
24:40Were you?
24:40How did you?
24:41Because what made me think of it was the sort of like individual and team thing, right?
24:45There's like what's good for the team and then there's like what the individual feels.
24:48And I was like, I wonder what he felt in that moment.
24:51Well, I was genuinely surprised because I didn't hear much from the Eagles throughout the process.
24:56And so, you know, I figured I'd wait my turn and, you know, start in two, three years or have
25:03an opportunity to compete for the job.
25:07And, you know, someone I leaned on, Dr. Kevin Elko, he was like, nah, bruh, you need to get ready.
25:19And I'm aware the city was surprised just as much as I was, you know, in that time.
25:25But, you know, after going through the process of settling and seeing where I was, you know, I always went
25:34back to the main thing.
25:35That's okay. This is where I am. Let's go to work.
25:38Were you surprised it happened so quickly that you ended up the start of the team?
25:43I wasn't.
25:44No.
25:45I think it was only your second season as a full-time starter that you guys went to the Super
25:50Bowl?
25:51Yeah.
25:52Yeah.
25:52Were you surprised that happened that quickly?
25:55No, I just was working.
25:56Yeah.
25:57I put my focus on the work and I let everything else come after that.
26:02Yep.
26:03You said after that Super Bowl, the first one, which you played great and lost.
26:10You said you felt hollow afterwards, I think, is the word.
26:14Hollow in what way?
26:15Empty.
26:16Hollow is a good word, though.
26:18I add it to my bank.
26:20Okay.
26:20Empty.
26:21Yeah.
26:21Empty in what way?
26:23It just was the losing the first Super Bowl and the emotions that came after that was the evolution of
26:35me before my eyes.
26:39It was an exact evolution.
26:43It was those moments where I was able to reflect, find clarity, and grow, and set my sights on what
26:53the next pursuit really looked like.
26:56And that was a chapter that I felt like I had to close as a competitor because I was always
27:03chasing this feeling of proving myself and what would I do when I got this opportunity again on a big
27:12-time platform, on a big-time championship-level stage?
27:15Will I meet the moment?
27:17Will I meet the moment?
27:17Because I've had experiences where I didn't.
27:19Mm-hmm.
27:20And those things built character within me, and I was able to learn from them.
27:23And so I walked into that moment and, you know, I remember setting out a goal before that year and
27:35saying, we're going to go to the Super Bowl.
27:36And I'm like, well, shit, I should have said, we're going to go win the Super Bowl.
27:40Maybe we would have won.
27:41Maybe I could have, you know, prophesized that or spoke that into goodwill.
27:48But I left the game very empty because I realized that that wasn't the most important thing.
27:57And that wasn't the most important thing in hindsight.
28:01I think that was something that I needed along my journey for me.
28:08But that was merely just me closing the chapter of the past.
28:15Mm-hmm.
28:16You went back two years later and won it.
28:19You felt empty after the loss.
28:22What did you feel like after you won it?
28:25It felt like a full circle moment.
28:28And this morning we talked about, you know, the Rocky Steps and...
28:34For context, you and I were met at dawn of the Rocky Steps.
28:38Yeah.
28:38Yeah.
28:39And we talked about the Rocky Steps, what it represents, you know.
28:44You said championships.
28:45The moments.
28:46Yeah.
28:47The moments you do, the moments you come.
28:49And I told you about, you know, there's joy and there's happiness.
28:55And, you know, when you're on a quest, it's...
29:01You're really only afforded to experience that happiness just in that moment.
29:06But there's never really an opportunity to enjoy everything if you're pressing forward, trying to achieve more.
29:16You said even...
29:17Not even necessarily trying to achieve more.
29:20But if the journey continues, it's not like a Brandon Graham where, hey, I won a Super Bowl and I'm
29:28done playing.
29:29It's, hey, you have this sense of happiness in this moment and you do all the things that come with
29:38that moment.
29:39You know, the parade and everything.
29:42But, you know, tomorrow comes and now you have to deal with the responsibilities of doing it again.
29:53And pursuing it again and restarting all over from scratch.
29:57And the punchline to that story is that Brandon Graham came back to you.
30:00Yeah, I mean, shit, he loved it too much, I guess.
30:06Legit.
30:07Jenna's rules.
30:08Too legit to quit.
30:16This is like, you know, like when Tiger Woods' dad would jingle change.
30:31You gotta call it?
30:32I ain't called a shot all day.
30:34Now you want to say call it?
30:35My house rules you call the eight ball, but...
30:40Too bad it ain't your house.
30:46We're still alive.
30:47Still alive.
30:49Still alive.
30:50Ah!
30:51Just can't figure out that, huh?
30:56Love hurts.
31:00I guess we can sit down now.
31:02I know you come from a football family.
31:09And I know how important it is to you.
31:12And I know you're just...
31:13You turned 28 this summer.
31:15This is a young man.
31:17Do you think about life after football at all?
31:22Yeah.
31:25What do you think about?
31:29I think about growth.
31:32Think about...
31:35You know, am I doing something that my dad did?
31:38Am I doing...
31:39And giving back the way that he did?
31:41Am I serving that way?
31:46Um...
31:46But I find myself...
31:48Really, when that time comes, it'll...
31:50It'll be...
31:53Well, I really don't even know what we're talking about.
31:57Life after football right now.
31:59I think I want to know what the dreams look like
32:02when they don't take the shape of...
32:06Winning football games.
32:08I can't tell you.
32:10I think that, um...
32:13You know, no one knows what the future will bring.
32:16I don't know where I'll be.
32:19Who knows...
32:20Who knows how long the journey will go.
32:23But...
32:23I do what I can right now.
32:26There's a line in your children's book.
32:30You are the winner you learn.
32:32Mm-hmm.
32:33Given the choice, which one would you pick?
32:37What I mean...
32:39You know, sometimes I...
32:41Feel like there haven't even been any wins.
32:46Really?
32:46Because you get so attached to the losses
32:48and how you can improve from those.
32:51Really?
32:52So...
32:52I think naturally I choose the losses.
32:55I think that's what...
32:56That's what...
32:57That's what makes a winner.
32:59Really?
33:01That's what makes a winner.
33:03For...
33:03Before you can win, you gotta learn how not to lose.
33:08But...
33:09To win...
33:13Or to be a winner is not because you're a winner itself.
33:16It's because you have a spirit of...
33:20Not...
33:21Accepting defeat.
33:23You know, you've got this ongoing drive to say...
33:26I refuse to lose.
33:30And you...
33:30You will.
33:32You know, it's not gonna always go...
33:34Picture-perfect.
33:34You're gonna have adversity and...
33:36You're gonna have experiences that come.
33:38You have to learn from...
33:40Character-building moments.
33:42But it comes down to how you respond to it.
33:44I think my mind is blown because the implication is...
33:49A win feels like nothing.
33:52But...
33:53Like...
33:53That you feel the losses and you don't feel the wins.
33:56Which seems like a hard way to go through life.
33:58Now maybe, like you say, maybe that's greatness.
34:00You know?
34:01All I am is a mediocre pool player.
34:04So I'm not sure if I'm acquainted with greatness.
34:07You don't care that you lost.
34:08That's what you're telling me.
34:09No, I desperately want a rematch.
34:12Like desperately.
34:12Well, I think that...
34:16That's the process.
34:17I mean, it's just a process.
34:20Goes back to my experiences.
34:21That's...
34:22That's how I know it.
34:24Meaning like you know...
34:25You know how to learn from the losses more than you know...
34:28What to do with the wins.
34:30It's how you respond to the losses.
34:32Yeah.
34:35And it's a challenge to respond to the successes as well.
34:38You know, how do you...
34:39How do you maintain the same hunger?
34:42How do you maintain the same drive and the...
34:44The will to win and the will to improve?
34:46Because it only gets harder and harder.
34:48Nothing about it is easy.
34:50On that beautiful note...
34:51Jalen Hurts.
34:52Thanks for doing this.
34:54That's it?
34:55That's it.
34:55You want more?
34:57What don't you know?
34:59What don't I know?
35:00I mean in terms of like...
35:02Not what don't you know?
35:04But...
35:07It's very...
35:10Beat Ryder-esque.
35:13That's fair.
35:14That's fair.
35:15Like from a...
35:16From a higher perspective...
35:18What intrigues you about the game?
35:22Like...
35:23Because...
35:24You gotta understand...
35:26Not everybody's gonna care about Eagles.
35:30Yeah.
35:31You know?
35:31Or know Eagles.
35:34So...
35:35When I think of GQ, I think of something that reaches...
35:39Something bigger represents something bigger than Eagles.
35:44If I wanted to address...
35:46Eagles...
35:47I would've talked to Jeff McClain.
35:49I would've called...
35:50Elliot Short...
35:51Whatever his name is.
35:52I would've talked to those guys.
35:54So...
35:55Mentality...
35:56Yeah.
35:56GQ style...
35:58Tell me about your style.
35:59My style?
36:00Yeah.
36:01You mean like my...
36:02Personal style?
36:03Or my like style as a human being?
36:04Whatever you interpret it as...
36:06Your style.
36:06Yeah.
36:09I'm thinking clothes.
36:10This is GQ.
36:12But...
36:12You were thinking clothes.
36:14This expression.
36:15You know?
36:15Um...
36:16Everybody got their own swag.
36:18For me...
36:20I think...
36:23Increasingly...
36:23And I...
36:24It's a good way to think about...
36:26Like with clothes actually.
36:28Um...
36:29Like...
36:29The guy who makes this shirt.
36:31I know him.
36:33He's in San Francisco.
36:34Okay.
36:35It's hand numbered.
36:36So it's like...
36:37A shirt, but it...
36:38You were talking about art?
36:39Mm-hmm.
36:40And it's like...
36:41It's art.
36:42And it's also personal.
36:44Mm-hmm.
36:44It's like...
36:44You're kind of wearing something, but you have a personal connection to it.
36:48It represents something.
36:49It represents something.
36:50Yeah.
36:51And I think increasingly the way I try to think about personal style and also just like...
36:57Life...
36:59Is...
37:00Seeking...
37:01Those experiences which are personal.
37:03Honestly, it's like part of the reason I want to talk to you.
37:05You know what I'm saying?
37:06Because it's like...
37:07There's the journalist part of me.
37:08Like the...
37:09The Jeff McClain that you like...
37:10Fairly critiqued.
37:11Right?
37:11Where it's like...
37:12There's...
37:13You know, let's go get news.
37:14Not a critique.
37:15Not a critique.
37:16But there's also like the part of me that's like...
37:18I've been a fan of this team my whole life.
37:20You know?
37:21Like...
37:21I've probably seen every game that you've ever played.
37:24And...
37:24Like...
37:25I'm not here to get a picture or an autograph.
37:27But there's like some connection...
37:29That I have to your story.
37:31That like...
37:32Leaves me with...
37:33More curiosity.
37:35Which leaves me with...
37:37A desire to...
37:39To like...
37:39To ask you questions that I haven't seen you get asked before.
37:42Or...
37:43Where I've seen you get asked the question.
37:44But not really answer it in a way that I'm like...
37:46I have...
37:47But I wanna...
37:47You know?
37:48I wanna know more.
37:48I think...
37:49I think with those things...
37:54You say...
37:55It's not understood.
37:58And...
37:58I'm like...
37:59I said what I said.
38:01That is exactly what I meant.
38:02Yeah, but...
38:03But like...
38:04I think...
38:06Saying what you say...
38:08Like...
38:08You're very deliberate about what you say.
38:11But that doesn't mean that people...
38:13Understand what it means.
38:14You know what I'm saying?
38:15And again...
38:15I'm not being critical.
38:17I think there's like a part of me...
38:20There's players...
38:21Like to...
38:22And you were asking about me.
38:23And now we're talking about you again.
38:24But that is kind of the exercise here.
38:26You know...
38:27There's like players on a...
38:28On a sideline of a basketball game.
38:30Or...
38:31Or...
38:31A guy on a tennis court.
38:33And everything he feels...
38:35Flashes across his face.
38:37He's feeling amazing.
38:38You see he feels amazing.
38:39When he feels...
38:41Bad and like it's not going his way.
38:43You see it.
38:44You know?
38:45Like...
38:45I look at you when you're playing.
38:47And I'm like...
38:48What is Jalen thinking?
38:50You know?
38:50And there...
38:51And I obviously like...
38:52That's a level of focus.
38:53And that's part of...
38:57The way you approach it.
38:59But...
39:00Even like teammates of yours.
39:01Like...
39:01Somebody will walk out the field and be like...
39:03I know what he thinks.
39:04You know?
39:04I feel like I never know what you think.
39:09You know?
39:11Yeah.
39:12And like that...
39:12And...
39:13And we talked about it today.
39:14Like there are reasons for that.
39:15You know?
39:16The thing...
39:16The thing is...
39:18Is...
39:19You know?
39:19You talk about vulnerability.
39:21And you talk about...
39:22You know?
39:24Are you able to define who you are?
39:26What your passions are?
39:27You know?
39:27The football field is the...
39:30Is one of the very few places I feel like I can be myself.
39:33Yeah.
39:34Which is...
39:35That's amazing.
39:36I mean, that's cool.
39:37Mm-hmm.
39:38It's like you feel more...
39:39But...
39:40But the raw emotions.
39:41I mean...
39:42You know?
39:42I think...
39:44I give you grace because...
39:46Competitively the fire and the moment and...
39:49The preparation and everything that you've done to get to this point.
39:52You know?
39:53Not many understand what is required of that.
39:56And...
39:57It...
39:58It demands everything.
39:59It demands everything.
40:00And it demands even more when you experience failure.
40:04When you come up short in something.
40:05And you...
40:06Have to humble yourself and...
40:09Find solutions.
40:11But first go to work and make sure you're doing the right thing.
40:14So...
40:14When you're in the process of a middle of a game...
40:17Gotta...
40:18You gotta...
40:19A...
40:20A fine focus on...
40:23What exactly...
40:24You trying to do.
40:26And that's my...
40:27That's my approach.
40:28Something go well.
40:30Trying to see how I respond.
40:31How do I eliminate?
40:32How do I adjust?
40:33How do I fix it?
40:34And if something is going well...
40:36Maybe tell yourself, hey...
40:38Play the next play.
40:39Right?
40:40It's the same thing.
40:41It's the same mentality.
40:42You know?
40:42I think about...
40:43A time if I...
40:44You know?
40:45Throw an interception.
40:46I may turn the ball over.
40:47Or I miss a guy.
40:49Take pride in how you respond.
40:51And the response is equally important...
40:54Whether something bad happens or something good happens.
40:57And so...
40:58That's what I'm always thinking.
40:59I'm always thinking...
41:00How come...
41:01How can I...
41:02Make sure I'm on my P's and Q's.
41:04I'm doing the things that I'm asked to do.
41:06And some...
41:06So we can go out here and figure out a way to win.
41:09That's what's always driven me.
41:11And...
41:11It wasn't always that point.
41:13But we all have a job to do.
41:15And...
41:16You know?
41:16That...
41:16That has evolved.
41:17That has evolved for me.
41:19You know?
41:20High school ball.
41:21And it being high school ball.
41:24And...
41:26College ball.
41:27And it being that.
41:28And then having the experiences of joys.
41:31And...
41:31And then the missteps.
41:33And...
41:34Taking all those things.
41:35And learning from it.
41:36And...
41:37Putting them all together.
41:38You know?
41:39That...
41:39That forges a mentality.
41:41And that forges a way.
41:42So...
41:42Why do you think you feel...
41:45Most like yourself on a football field?
41:48Cause it's...
41:49It's what I love.
41:51It's what I love.
41:53It's what I know.
41:54It's what I come up around.
41:56It's...
41:57It's...
41:57It's who I am.
41:59It's who I've been groomed to be.
42:03And when you're not there.
42:04It's...
42:04It's how I...
42:05It's how I express myself.
42:07Yeah.
42:08Yeah.
42:09So that's kind of the squaring of the circle.
42:11It's like that's...
42:11That's where the...
42:14That's where...
42:14Where it all is.
42:16The...
42:16The vulnerability.
42:17The self explanation.
42:18It's all...
42:19To you.
42:19It's all there.
42:22It is.
42:24It is.
42:25And when you're not on...
42:26That field.
42:27I pray I got a lot of life ahead of me.
42:29Yeah.
42:30I do.
42:30I pray.
42:31I got a lot of life...
42:32A lot of life ahead of me.
42:34With a lot more memories to build.
42:35But right now.
42:37That's what my focus is.
42:38Right.
42:38But I'm just like on a random Monday.
42:40When you're not on that field.
42:41You know.
42:43Is the feeling just like.
42:44Let me get back there.
42:45So I can be myself again.
42:46Or...
42:47The feeling is reset.
42:48So I can prepare myself.
42:49For what I need to do on the field.
42:51Like it's all...
42:51It's all connected.
42:53Yeah.
42:53That's...
42:53That's just the nature of the game.
42:55That's the nature of the game.
42:57You know.
42:58It's...
42:58It's cliche.
43:00You know.
43:00To...
43:00To bring up.
43:01What Kobe once said.
43:03But it's the truest thing.
43:04You rest in the end.
43:05And...
43:06There'll be a time where.
43:07You know.
43:07I can...
43:08Find this joy that you're...
43:10Probably describing.
43:12Yeah.
43:12In things.
43:13But I...
43:14I find tons of joy in the process.
43:17Yeah.
43:17And...
43:17The...
43:18The pursuit of.
43:20So...
43:20You know.
43:21You learn a lot about yourself.
43:23You learn a...
43:24You learn a...
43:26You learn a lot about yourself.
43:26And...
43:27It would be more of a celebration.
43:28In the end.
43:29Not necessarily joy.
43:32Um...
43:32But they're kind of running mates.
43:34It just depends on what...
43:35You know.
43:35Joy.
43:35Happiness.
43:36Celebration.
43:37You know.
43:38Triumph.
43:39But you...
43:39You play the game to win.
43:41And so...
43:42You're always trying to see how you can do that.
43:44And...
43:44You know.
43:45You learn so much.
43:46I learned so much through this game.
43:48I've learned so much too.
43:51Thank you so much.
43:52Well thank you.
43:52I appreciate it.
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