Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts speaks during the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl celebration in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025.
Jalen Hurts has officially transitioned from Philadelphia-area hero to worldwide icon.
The proof is in TIME's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, a tradition the publication launched more than two decades ago. Hurts is listed alongside figures such as Snoop Dogg, Elon Musk, and Blake Lively in an attempt to capture the forces shaping the future through profiles of individuals.
An icon and on the @TIME list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2025.
That's Jalen Hurts.@JalenHurts | #TIME100 pic.twitter.com/pnl6b259Ct
Each member of TIME's list gets a discussion authored by another celebrity. Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter penned the section on Hurts:
"I admire how great athletes deal with both success and failure. What Jalen Hurts went through in being benched during the 2018 National Championship game would break a lot of people down. But not Jalen; he focused on what he could control and found a new path to success. In the NFL, Jalen didn’t let a Super Bowl defeat in 2023 shake his confidence. He used that loss as motivation and kept a picture of himself walking off the field after losing as his phone lock screen.
"This past February, Jalen found himself on the Super Bowl stage again. This time he led Philadelphia to a convincing victory in its rematch with Kansas City. We connected shortly after, and the only thing he asked about was insight on going back and winning again. Sometimes people win, then exhale. Jalen is not exhaling. He’s embracing the next challenge. Win or lose, Jalen’s resilience and determination offer all of us something to admire."
Jeter's tribute to QB1 tells the world something Eagles fans already knew: Hurts is on a mission to be something bigger than just a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He wants multiple championships. A dynasty. And an impact that goes beyond the game, something akin to the phenomenon that is Michael Jordan.
Hurts' admiration of Jordan is evident in his dress, his mannerisms, his relentless competitiveness, and--perhaps most starkly--his ascension as the new face of the Jordan brand. It's unlikely that any pro athlete will ever transcend sports and permeate worldwide culture the way Jordan did, but that's not going to stop Hurts from trying.
#Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and NBA Legend Michael Jordan spotted last night at dinner. pic.twitter.com/LCqM2vydFm
The Eagles website's write-up of Hurts' TIME honor ticks off some of the QB's off-the-field achievements: He launched the Jalen Hurts Foundation and provided air conditioning to Philadelphia schools. He was recognized as the 2024 Philadelphia Citizen of the Year. He's the Global Flag Football Ambassador for the 2028 Olympics.
Hurts has also garnered attention for his all-female staff of representatives and for his advocacy on behalf of women's sports.
Of course, at the heart of it all is Hurts' football talent. Michael Jordan was never going to become Michael Jordan without the championships. Some may worry that Hurts' increasingly varied endeavors may affect his performance on the field.
But if there's one truth Eagles fans know above all else, it's that Jalen Hurts is going to keep the main thing the main thing.
