Jalen Hurts called Peyton Manning for advice on how to get better just two weeks after winning Super Bowl LIX

This is why Jalen Hurts is built different. Most players would still be halfway through their victory tour after winning a Super Bowl. They’d be on talk shows, yachts, and Instagram lives talking about legacy.

Jalen Hurts did not do that. Instead, he picked up the phone and called Peyton Manning, just two weeks after being crowned Super Bowl LIX MVP and asked the Hall of Fame quarterback how to get better.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Hurts reached out to Manning shortly after leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX victory. Instead of soaking in the moment, he asked one of the greatest quarterbacks ever how he could elevate his game heading into 2025.

Peyton Manning on Jalen Hurts:

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“He said, ‘Hey, there’s some things I think we can do to be even better. Peyton, what do you think?’” Manning told reporter Olivia Reiner. “As opposed to being on some island celebrating, he was already into the 2025-26 season. So that tells you everything. He’s still a very hungry player. And how lucky the Eagles fans should be to have a guy like that.”

This wasn’t just a casual chat about leadership or footwork either. Manning said their conversation focused heavily on Hurts’ pre-snap process, reading defenses, anticipating coverage shifts, and mastering the mental side of the game.

“Jalen can throw it as far, can run as fast as anybody,” Manning said. “But the fact that he’s combining that with a real appreciation of the cerebral part of understanding plays and mastering each coverage, that’s what separates the great ones.”

Manning explained that his own career was defined by running the same plays over and over again in Indianapolis and Denver, constantly adapting to how defenses reacted. He said Hurts is doing the same thing and putting in the hours to “master the cerebral part” instead of just relying on his athleticism.

Honestly, this tracks.

Jalen Hurts has always been wired differently. He’s not flashy, not obsessed with stats, and never satisfied with good enough. That mindset is exactly why he’s one of the league’s top quarterbacks and one of the most respected leaders in Philadelphia sports history.

Through eight games this season, Hurts has thrown for 1,677 yards, 15 touchdowns, and just one interception while completing over 70 percent of his passes. He’s also added five rushing touchdowns, all while working under yet another new offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo, his sixth in the NFL.

For most quarterbacks, that much change would be chaos. No doubt that there’s been growing pains this year with Patullo but as expected Hurts is taking it in stride and viewing it as just another challenge to solve.

Manning summed it up perfectly…

“I just like the way he carries himself. I’ve always been in his corner and a big fan, and he didn’t have to win a Super Bowl to prove anything to me. But the fact that he did it just tells you that he can do it, and I think he can continue to do it again.”

At 27 years old, Hurts has already reached the top of the mountain, but what separates him from everyone else is that he’s still climbing. That’s the kind of quarterback you dream about. Jalen Hurts is the guy who wins it all, then immediately calls Peyton Manning to figure out how to do it better.

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