Another win for the city of Philadelphia – and this one goes far beyond the football field. Jalen Hurts, Super Bowl MVP, Philadelphia Citizen of the Year, and now one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025, is showing the world what leadership looks like, both in cleats and in the community.
Jalen Hurts: A leader on and off the field
Indeed, it’s another moment of well-deserved celebration for Philly -and another powerful reminder that Jalen Hurts isn’t just leading the Eagles…he’s inspiring the world.
This week, Hurts was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025, joining a prestigious list of global trailblazers who are, as TIME puts it, “transforming the world.”
For Philly, the honor hits close to home because we’ve watch Hurts’ transformation happen in real time.
Remarkably, Hurts’ journey has always been about more than stats.
But let’s talk about stats for a minute.
In the 2024-2025 regular season, Hurts led the Eagles to a dominant 14-3 record. Then, in a highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch, the star quarterback delivered: 221 passing yards, two touchdowns in the air, and one on the ground. In the end, Philly defeated the Chiefs in a 40-22 win. Hurts not only secured the MVP title, but also his legacy.
But it’s what Hurts is doing off the field that truly elevates him.
In July 2024, he launched the Jalen Hurts Foundation, and one of its first initiatives -the Keep It Cool Campaign– made a huge impact right here at home. The foundation donated hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of air conditioning units to Philly schools in need, directly supporting students and staff in the School District of Philadelphia.
Undoubtedly, for Hurts, it’s always been about the bigger picture: community, compassion and creating lasting change.
TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025
From Super Bowl MVP to TIME 100 honoree, Hurts is redefining what it means to lead with humility, hunger, and heart. He represents the soul of Philly: resilient, relentless, and rooted in something bigger than himself.
His profile was written by no other than Derek Jeter, a five-time World Series champion and baseball Hall of Famer:
“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, ” Jeter wrote.
“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,” Jeter said.
“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.”
Congratulations QB1! You’ve made the city proud once again. 🦅💚
You can see the complete list of TIME 100’s Most Influential People here.