DeVonta Smith shows Slay how it’s done, defends Jalen Hurts in recent interview

Despite bringing a Lombardi trophy to Philadelphia and winning Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts has yet to get the respect he deserves.

Whether it’s due to his dual-threat ability or less-than-gaudy passing numbers, national pundits are reluctant to mention Hurts when discussing the league’s top signal-callers.

Former teammates have also refused to include Hurts in elite quarterback conversations.

Veteran CB Darius Slay, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in free agency, recently said that the “elite quarterbacks” in the sport are Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. 

Darius Slay gave us his top 4 elite QB’s in the game 🤔
pic.twitter.com/OgMOeAX3wK

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 6, 2025

Slay later walked back his remarks:

“Hey, fans, look, I got nothing but love for Hurts,” Slay said. “I know I probably could have said it a little bit different for folks. But me and Hurts talked, that is my brother always. Like I said, I’ve been always giving him praise each and every day. Even told him in person when he was a rookie — I told him this was going to be his team, man. And this is his team.

“Shout out to that boy man, I love that man. I don’t have no hard feelings about none of that. We talk, we text. We got a great understanding. He knows where I’m coming from, he knows I love him. He knows that.”

One of Hurts’ current teammates, WR DeVonta Smith, supported his quarterback on a recent appearance on ‘7PM in Brooklyn.’

"If I ain't got nothing in this city, I know I got him."

The QB-WR bond that Jalen Hurts & DeVonta Smith have is unmatched ✊ pic.twitter.com/UkArjGwfgs

— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) March 20, 2025

“Slay said, you know, the Big Four. For me, it’s the Big Five. Jalen is in that five. The four that he named, and then I’m putting Jalen in there. To me, that’s the Big Five.”

Smith is 100% correct. Hurts is the only player in that group besides Mahomes to win a Super Bowl.

He’s the seventh QB in NFL history to play in multiple Super Bowls and win a championship in their first five seasons, joining Troy Aikman, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner, and Russell Wilson.

Hurts has the highest completion percentage (73.3%) in Super Bowl history and the most QB rushing yards (72) ever in the Super Bowl.

Whether the public acknowledges it or not, Jalen Hurts is elite and wins games.

Respect to DeVonta Smith.

JALEN TO DEVONTA DEEP TOUCHDOWN!

📺: #SBLIX on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/OTFwM3v8Fb

— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025

Mandatory Credit: 7PM In Brooklyn