Eagles Jalen Hurts Grateful To Play Whether It's At The Linc Or In Brazil

The Eagles quarterback was asked to give his thoughts on the importance of playing in South America vs. playing a big game against the Packers at Lincoln Financial Field.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts signs autographs after Tuesday's practice in New England. / Philadelphia Eagles/X.com

Lincoln Financial Field or Corinthians Arena, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said it doesn’t matter where the 2024 season opener will be played. The NFL lined up the Eagles' “home” game 5,000 miles away from the South Philly, and against an opponent that is no slouch.

Of course, no games are easy in the league, but the Green Bay Packers and Eagles could be battling for a playoff spot and/or playoff seeding, so the outcome of Friday night’s game could be significant in any tiebreaker scenarios as the months tick by.

It would be better for the Eagles if it were played in their friendly confines surrounded by 70,000 fans, but that’s not an option. And Hurts didn't seem to mind, either.

“I’m excited to be here,” said Hurts. “This is a beautiful place, and I think just being blessed and expressing my gratitude to have an opportunity to play. It didn’t really matter where. I’m just blessed.”

The quarterback mentioned a couple of times during a brief news conference on Thursday, during which only Brazilian reporters were called on for questions, that he was overwhelmed by being one of the first NFL players to play on South American soil.

“My personal perspective is, I’m a kid from East Houston that used to play this game in the streets,” he said. “Any piece of grass I could find, I’d go throw the ball around and really just enjoy the game, the love for the game, and just having the opportunity to come this far in this journey and be where we are, my spirit is full of gratitude to be here and really just reflecting on how the journey has come for me. It’s blessing to play in a national game and enjoy this moment with the people of Brazil.”

Hurts drew upon his childhood roots again in answering another question about his reaction to some of his teammates not being kind to Brazil in comments leading up to the game, about the high crime rate, about the long trip, and other questions.

“We’ll keep those things in-house,” he said. “Like I said, I’m extremely blessed and thankful to be here and to lead this team. Like I said, I’m a kid from East Houston, playing an American football game in South America. It’s surreal. I have a ton of gratitude for the opportunity and the moment.”

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