Jalen Hurts took little solace in some extremely complimentary words from Patrick Mahomes in the wake of the Philadelphia Eagles' agonising Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hurts seemingly had the Eagles in position to win the Lombardi Trophy when they led the Chiefs 24-14 at half-time.
But the Chiefs produced an offensive masterclass in the second half, outscoring the Eagles 24-11 across the final two quarters in a bewitching contest at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
The turning point seemed to come in the third quarter, when the Eagles, still leading 24-21, went on a 17-play drive that lasted seven minutes and 45 seconds but ended in a Jake Elliott field goal.
Kansas City scored on their next two possessions, sandwiched by a three-and-out for the Eagles, to give the Chiefs a 35-27 advantage.
A 45-yard connection from Hurts to DeVonta Smith followed by a Hurts touchdown run and a two-point conversation tied the game, only for a 26-yard scramble from Mahomes, followed by a key holding penalty on Eagles corner James Bradberry, to put the Chiefs in position to bleed the clock and kick the decisive field goal.
It means Hurts' stunning second season as a starting quarterback ends in heartbreak despite a performance that would have netted him the MVP had Philadelphia prevailed.
Though Hurts had a fumble returned for a touchdown by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton in the second quarter, he broke the Super Bowl record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback (70). He also tied records for the most points scored by a single player (20) and the most touchdowns from scrimmage (3).
Mahomes and Hurts were the first two black starting quarterbacks to face off in Super Bowl history, and also had the youngest combined age of two starting Super Bowl quarterbacks at 51 years and 337 days.
And Mahomes lavished praise on his counterpart, saying of Hurts: "If there was any doubters left, there shouldn't be now.
"That was a special performance, I don't want it to get lost in the loss that they had. It was a special performance by him man, you make sure you appreciate that when you look back at this game."
But that provided no comfort for Hurts.
Asked about Mahomes' comments, he replied: "I have a lot of respect for him. I always have. He's done some really great things, thus far. For me, we lost.
"He came away with the win. We came up short, so it's something that I know will motivate me. I've been here before, and that's the beautiful thing about it, so I'll figure it out.
"You either win or you learn, that's how I feel. You either win or you learn. Win, lose, I always reflect on the things I could have done better, anything you could have done better to try and take that next step. That'll be the same process I always have going on.
"It is a tough feeling to come up short. It's a very tough feeling, but I know the direction is to rise and that will be the M.O. going forward, that will be the mentality going forward. That is the mentality. Obviously, credit to them for the game they played and very competitive football game and very competitive football team and coach Reid. We'll sit back, reflect on it and learn from it."
Pressed on the lesson he will take from this defeat, Hurts added: "You want to cherish these moments with the people that you've come so far with, your family, your loved ones, your team-mates, your peers, everyone that you do it with and do it for.
"I'm so proud of this team. I would say I'm so proud of this team for everything that we’ve been able to overcome. Obviously, we had a big-time goal that we wanted to accomplish and we came up short. I think the beautiful part about it is everyone experiences different pains, everyone experiences different agonies of life, but you decide if you want to learn from it. You decide if you want that to be a teachable moment. I know I do."
Bills sign veteran pass-rusher Leonard Floyd to one-year deal
The Buffalo Bills have upgraded their pass rush, agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was the first to report the agreement on Monday.
Drafted with the ninth overall pick by the Chicago Bears in 2016, the 30-year-old Floyd is entering his eighth NFL season after spending the last three with the Los Angeles Rams following his first four years with the Bears.
He won a Super Bowl with the Rams two years ago while playing on the opposite side of the defense as Von Miller, who he'll be reunited with in Buffalo.
The Bills were tied for 14th in the NFL in sacks last season with 40, but their production dipped after Miller tore the ACL in his right knee in November and missed the rest of the season.
Following Miller's injury, Buffalo had two or fewer sacks in five of their final seven games.
Floyd had nine sacks while playing in all 17 games last season and has 47 1/2 sacks in his career.
Since the start of the 2020 season, his 29 sacks rank 10th in the league.
The Bills have lost in the divisional round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons, and hope the addition of Floyd will help them get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season.
Buffalo opens the 2023 season with a highly anticipated Monday night showdown against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on September 11, and Miller is optimistic he'll be able to play.
Bills agree to terms with OLB Leonard Floyd on a 1-year deal. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/4NKBxj1Lcr
— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2023
Cardinals release three-time All-Pro WR Hopkins
The Arizona Cardinals have released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after failing to find a trade partner.
The team announced the move Friday on Twitter.
Hopkins spent three seasons with the Cardinals after being acquired via trade from the Houston Texans in March 2020.
The 30-year-old had a stellar debut season with Arizona, being voted to his fifth Pro Bowl after tying his personal best with 115 catches totalling 1,407 yards.
In 2021 and 2022, Hopkins had a combined 106 catches as a torn knee ligament and a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing substances limited his playing time.
Earlier this offseason, the Cardinals brought in a new leadership team in general manager Monti Ossenfort and defensive-minded head coach Jonathan Gannon, leading to trade rumours circling Hopkins.
Arizona were unable to find a trade partner to take on Hopkins' $22.6million salary cap hit during the draft last month, leaving the rebuilding Cardinals no other choice but to release the three-time All-Pro receiver.
Amid the offseason trade rumours, Hopkins had been notably absent from voluntary OTA workouts and caused a stir earlier this week when he discussed the NFL's top quarterbacks on a podcast and omitted now-former teammate Kyler Murray.
In three seasons with the Cardinals, Hopkins recorded 221 receptions for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns in 35 games.
The 10-year veteran has 853 career catches for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns.
Mahomes concerned with 'winning rings more than making money'
Patrick Mahomes' focus is on "winning rings" and not making more money, as the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback aims to cement his legacy as an NFL great.
Mahomes was the driving force yet again as the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in the space of three years to cap the 2022 season.
The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Arizona, with league MVP Mahomes completing 21 of 27 passes for three touchdowns.
In the process, Mahomes, who was battling injury throughout the Chiefs' postseason, became the first player since Kurt Warner in 1999 to be crowned NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season.
Yet Mahomes, who became the NFL's highest-paid player when he signed a $450million, 10-year contract in 2020, is now only the seventh-highest-paid QB in the league when it comes to average annual salary.
The 27-year-old, though, is not concerned by money, even though the Chiefs have hinted they will look at improving his terms.
"I've always said I worry about legacy and winning rings more than making money at this moment," he told reporters on Wednesday, as quoted by ESPN.
"We see what's going on around the league, but at the same time, I'll never do anything that's going to hurt us from keeping the great players around me.
"So it's kind of teetering around that line.
"You just want to do whatever to not hurt other quarterbacks [financially]. Whenever their contracts come up, you want to keep the bar pushing [higher]."
Mahomes wants to find a sweet spot where he is earning a fair salary that also enables the Chiefs to retain other players who have proved crucial to their success.
He explained: "It's not about being the highest-paid guy; it's not about making a ton of money. I've made enough money that I'll be set for the rest of my life.
"But at the same time, you got to find that line where you're making a good amount of money but you're still keeping a lot of great players around you so you can win these Super Bowls and you're able to compete in these games.
"If you look at the greats in the league, they find that right spot where they're getting paid a lot of money but at the same time keeping a lot of these great players around.
"I understand you look at the team and you've got guys like Chris [Jones] and [L'Jarius] Sneed and even Travis [Kelce], all these guys that you need to keep around you to have these great teams. But at the same time, you want to make sure you're taking care of yourself."
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