Darius Slay appeared to bid farewell to the Philadelphia Eagles amid reports he is set to be released.

The five-time Pro Bowl pick, who joined from the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2020 campaign, will depart after three seasons with the Eagles.

Slay was a key member of the Eagles team that reached Super Bowl LVII, and started in the 38-35 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arizona, making four tackles.

The 32-year-old made 40 tackles and three interceptions across the regular season, and recorded 14 passes defensed, tied for 12th in the NFL.

It looks to have been his swansong in Philadelphia, with reports circulating on Wednesday that Slay's time with the Eagles is coming to an end.

Slay appeared to confirm this news on Twitter, posting: "Nothing but love Philly! Let's see where we [are] heading next."

A second-round draft pick for Detroit in 2013, Slay impressed during his time with the Lions, though he only made two postseason appearances with them, in their 2014 and 2016 campaigns.

He jointly led the NFL for interceptions in 2017, alongside Tennessee Titans free safety Kevin Byard.

Slay's exit will come on the heels of the Eagles keeping hold of other key cornerback in James Bradberry, who reportedly agreed a three-year deal earlier this week after entering free agency.

Philadelphia have also agreed to a one-year deal with Rashaad Penny, with the running back set to make the move from the Seattle Seahawks.

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly looking to trade one cornerback in Darius Slay, but they will hold on to their other starter at the position after agreeing a deal with James Bradberry.

According to multiple reports, the Eagles have agreed a three-year, $38million deal with Bradberry, who enjoyed a stellar first season in Philadelphia in 2022.

Bradberry tallied the third-most pass breakups in the NFL last season, registering 17, and also intercepted three passes as he helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII.

Per Stats Perform data, he finished 15th among all starting corners with a combined open percentage-allowed across man and zone coverage of 25.3. 

His season ended in disappointment as the Eagles lost the Super Bowl 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Bradberry flagged for a key defensive holding penalty that allowed the Chiefs to kill the clock before kicking the game-winning field goal.

Bradberry will now attempt to help the Eagles go one better than last season, and, on the other side of the ball, they look to have improved their much-vaunted run game for their 2023 push.

The Eagles also agreed to a one-year deal with running back Rashaad Penny, seemingly spelling the end of free agent Miles Sanders' time with the team.

Last season, Penny led all running backs with at least 50 rush attempts with a yards per carry average of 6.1. Sanders averaged 4.8 yards per rush.

Penny was also the best in the NFL in yards per carry on runs where there was a disruption by a defender. He averaged 4.3 yards per rush on such attempts, while Sanders averaged just 2.7.

However, Penny has started only 11 games in his NFL career and has never finished a full season. For Penny to be an upgrade in the Philadelphia backfield, he'll need to show the kind of durability that has so far evaded him during his pro career.

Jason Kelce still has more he wants to accomplish with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The star center announced on Monday he will return for the 2023 season.

"I have put much thought into whether it makes sense to play another season," Kelce wrote on Twitter.

"After talking it over with my wife and many other friends and family, I have decided to return for another year.

"Thank you to all my supporters and detractors for fuelling me, I ain't f***ing done yet!"

Considered one of the best centers in the NFL, the 35-year-old Kelce has anchored Philadelphia's offensive line since being drafted by the franchise in 2011, starting every game for them since the start of the 2015 season.

A 12-year veteran, Kelce was named to his sixth Pro Bowl this past season while also earning a first-team All-Pro selection for the fifth time.

He won the Super Bowl with Philadelphia during the 2017 season and helped the Eagles reach this past season's Super Bowl, where they lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs and his brother – star tight end Travis.

Brandon Graham has agreed a one-year extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, turning down the chance to enter free agency.

The veteran defensive end posted a career-best 11 sacks in the 2022 season, and has reportedly signed a deal worth up to $6million.

According to a report from ESPN, the Cleveland Browns had been interested in acquiring Graham, but the 34-year-old ultimately chose to stay in Philadelphia for another year.

"I definitely don't want to miss out on this championship that we're about to make a run for," he told ESPN.

"I pretty much directed [my agent] Joel [Segal] just to get a deal done before free agency so I wouldn't have to go through that part. I'm just so happy everything came to fruition.

"It wasn't even about no money. It was more about wanting to be an Eagle as long as I could still play at a high level, and of course I still have a sour taste in my mouth on how things ended this last year [losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl]."

Graham also recorded 16 quarterback hits in his 17 regular season outings, a total he has only ever bettered twice in his 13-year career.

The Philadelphia Eagles are making Brian Johnson, the quarterbacks coach behind Jalen Hurts' progress, their new offensive coordinator.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Johnson's imminent promotion on Tuesday.

The Eagles needed a new OC after Shane Steichen landed the Indianapolis Colts head coach job.

Johnson was coached by Averion Hurts at high school and has remained close with Jalen, Averion's son and the Eagles' quarterback.

Hurts, working with Johnson and Steichen, led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in the 2022 season.

He threw for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns in the regular season, adding another 13 scores on the ground. The Eagles were 14-1 with Hurts starting.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown says the franchise can trade him if they do not re-sign quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Brown and Hurts struck up an outstanding combination during the 2022 season as the Eagles reached the Super Bowl. The pair linked up for 10 passing touchdowns, almost half of Hurts' 22 for the regular season.

Hurts is eligible for a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, having had a career-high 66.3 QBR in 2022.

Earlier this week, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Hurts' prospective contract extension a "priority" and Brown called on him to "get it done".

"They have to give Jalen a house, the building, the State," Brown said jokingly on the Raw Room podcast. "They gotta pay him.

"Listen, I love Philly. And what I'm about to say, you do not pay this man, just ship me off wherever he's [about to] go. Listen, so you're talking about pressure? Howie, get it done."

Hurts, 24, enjoyed a career-best year in his third NFL campaign, rushing in 13 touchdowns along with his 22 passing TDs in the regular season while registering 11 combined interceptions and fumbles.

His 165 carries were the second-most by a QB in a single season, trailing only Lamar Jackson's 176 during his 2019 MVP season, and only Cam Newton's 2011 season saw a quarterback rush for more touchdowns (14).

It was also the first time in Eagles history that the franchise won 14 games in a regular season, although they had two 13-3 seasons before the league added a 17th game in 2021.

"I'm definitely going to do everything in my power to play as long with Jalen as I can, him and DeVonta [Smith]," Brown said.

"Me and DeVonta, man, we're a great tandem. I'm definitely going to try to keep that going as long as I can. [Smith is] up and rising on another level. shoot, at some point he's gonna be up [for his own contract], so definitely you wanna try to keep the team together."

Jalen Hurts' breakout season as quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles is set to be rewarded by the franchise after general manager Howie Roseman called his prospective contract extension "a priority".

Hurts, 24, enjoyed a career-best year in his third NFL campaign, throwing for 22 touchdowns and rushing for 13 more in the regular season while registering 11 combined interceptions and fumbles.

His 165 carries were the second-most by a quarterback in a single season, trailing only Lamar Jackson's 176 during his 2019 MVP season, and only Cam Newton's 2011 season saw a quarterback rush for more touchdowns (14).

It was also the first time in Eagles history that the franchise won 14 games in a regular season, although they had two 13-3 seasons before the league added a 17th game in 2021.

Speaking to the media about Hurts' long-term future in Philadelphia, Roseman emphasised that the organisation views him as their franchise quarterback.

"Obviously we want to keep our best players here for the long term, and [Hurts] is certainly one of our best players," he said. "We'll keep all contract talks internal but we'd definitely like to keep Jalen Hurts here long term."

The last big quarterback extension the Eagles handed out – to Carson Wentz – did not pan out, but Roseman said he is not letting that outcome influence his decision-making.

"You’ve got to look at the individual player, and that’s not to be critical to anyone we’ve given a contract to that hasn’t worked out," he said. 

"But I think when we talk about Jalen, we’re talking about a guy we have tremendous confidence in, a guy that we want to be here for a long time. And so, it will be something that will be a priority for us."

The Eagles' list of free agents is long, including All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry, defensive centrepiece Fletcher Cox, and veteran edge rusher Brandon Graham – coming off a career-high 11 sacks – and Roseman is resigned to the fact that they will not be able to retain everyone.

"I think we have obviously a large number of free agents that we knew going in," he said. "I think when we looked at this team – and we always look at this team over not just this year but over a period of time – we knew we needed to get additional picks. 

"Even though maybe we don't have the amount of picks this year, we have a bunch of high picks. And then next year, we're going to have a tremendous amount of picks. We already have two additional picks from two trades that we made.

"Just by the sheer number of the free agents, we're going to have comp picks next year. Even if we signed a bunch of guys, we are going to have comp picks next year. 

"So I think we go into it with that understanding that it's going to be impossible to keep every single person on this team, but we're here to compete.”

Super Bowl LVII MVP Patrick Mahomes insists the Kansas City Chiefs "ain't done yet" after claiming their second title from the past four seasons with Sunday's 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chiefs celebrated with their fans on Wednesday with an open-roofed bus parade which culminated at Kansas City's Union Station.

Mahomes vowed on stage at Union Station to the crowd that the Chiefs were only just starting.

"I just want to let you all know that this is just the beginning," Mahomes said.

"We ain't done yet, so I'll make sure to hit y'all back next year and I hope the crowd's the same.

"We're back again. We're back again. Before we started this season, the AFC West said we were rebuilding.

"I'll be honest with you, I don't know what rebuilding means. In our rebuilding year, we're world champs."

Mahomes' latter comment was in reference to expectations that the Chiefs would slip from contention in the 2022 season with wide receiver Tyreek Hill traded to the Miami Dolphins and safety Tyrann Mathieu not re-signed among other changes.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been vocal about those who wrote off the Chiefs and reiterated that sentiment, while insisting this was "the best season of my life" after a career-high 16 touchdowns from 20 starts inclusive of the regular season and playoffs.

"The haters were saying that the Chiefs would never make the playoffs. The haters were saying the Chiefs were done. Done," Kelce said.

"In all reality, this was the best season of my life. I owe it to you guys. I owe it to the guys on this stage. I owe it to everybody… Everybody's asking: Is this a dynasty? It's been a dynasty."

The Chiefs have made the AFC Championship Game in each of the past five seasons, winning on three occasions and losing the other two in overtime.

Philadelphia Eagles players rushed to the online defense of team-mate James Bradberry on Tuesday after Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster posted a Valentine's Day card mocking his Super Bowl opponent.

A holding penalty committed by Bradberry against Smith-Schuster ended up sealing the Chiefs' game-winning drive on Sunday, with fans and pundits almost universally slamming the borderline decision in such a crucial spot.

To his credit, Bradberry was asked for his thoughts immediately after the loss and he said he believed it was the right decision, although he was hoping the referees would not call it.

The budding rivalry between the Chiefs and Eagles got a shot in the arm when Smith-Schuster posted a fake Valentine's Day card on Twitter, with Bradberry's picture being accompanied by the words "I'll hold you when it matters most".

In response, top Eagles receiver A.J. Brown posted a response calling Smith-Schuster "TikTok boy".

It read: "First off congratulations, y'all deserve it. This is lame. You was on your way out the league before Mahomes resurrected your career on your one-year deal TikTok boy.

"He admitted that he grabbed you but don't act like you're like that or ever was. But congratulations again."

Meanwhile, five-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay – Bradberry's starting cornerback partner – also showed support to his team-mate.

He retweeted Smith-Schuster's tweet and commented "Come on naw bra… doin too much!" before also replying "big facts" to former star Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill calling Smith-Schuster a "front-runner".

Bradberry stayed out of the drama, instead just posting "ALL-PRO" after being named Second Team All-Pro this season, which Slay shared and added further support.

Slay wrote: "Y'all boys stay keeping my dawg name in y'all mouth. Bra don't bother nobody on or off the field… y'all lame! All-Pro JB."

The Indianapolis Colts have named Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their new head coach.

Steichen was part of the staff that led the Eagles all the way to NFC Championship success and Super Bowl LVII, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Philadelphia's offense finished the regular season third in scoring (an average of 28.1 points per game), while Indianapolis were tied for 30th out of the 32 teams, with only the Denver Broncos (16.9) averaging lower than their 17.0 points per game.

The Colts had a season to forget overall, finishing on 4-12-1, losing their last seven games and 10 of their last 11.

Steichen replaces Frank Reich, who was fired midway through the 2022 season and has since taken the head coach role at the Carolina Panthers.

Coincidentally, Reich had also been Eagles OC before getting the top job with the Colts in 2018.

Jeff Saturday took interim charge after Reich's dismissal and had been in contention for the job permanently before Steichen's appointment was confirmed.

General manager Chris Ballard has previously said he will do "whatever it takes" to bring in a franchise quarterback, which will be music to Steichen's ears as he has previously helped develop top QBs such as Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert in his time with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Jalen Hurts at the Eagles.

Patrick Mahomes has no concern about being ready for the start of the Kansas City Chiefs' preparations for the 2023 season after injuring his ankle in their Super Bowl LVII success.

Mahomes came up limping heavily after a second-quarter scramble in the Chiefs' remarkable 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

The Chiefs were trailing 24-14 at that point, but Mahomes emerged from half-time with his ankle re-taped and led Kansas City on a vintage comeback.

Mahomes and his team-mates will have time to bask in an incredible triumph, but there is, as the saying goes, no offseason in the NFL, and the Chiefs will be turning the page to 2023 next month when the new league year starts, with free agency and the draft soon to be on the horizon.

OTAs will follow in May, but Mahomes is more worried about how the ankle injury will impact his play on the golf course than his readiness for offseason workouts.

"I'll for sure be ready for OTAs," Mahomes said at his Super Bowl MVP press conference in Phoenix on Monday.

"The one thing that might take a hit is my golf game."

The Chiefs were slight underdogs against the Eagles, having gone into the season with some predicting their potential dethronement in the AFC West.

Instead, the Chiefs won the division at a canter, and are unlikely to have many doubting them ahead of next season after this latest show of Mahomes magic.

Asked if the Chiefs "keep receipts" from doomsayers, Mahomes replied: "It's hard not to hear that stuff. You hear how not good we're going to be. I'm just going to go out there and prove it on the football field."

Paying tribute to his head coach, Mahomes added: "As long as Andy Reid's coaching us, we're always going to have a chance."

Nick Sirianni has seen Jalen Hurts deliver some remarkable performances in victory, but the Philadelphia Eagles coach believes there has been no more impressive display than the one the quarterback produced in their heartbreaking Super Bowl LVII loss.

Hurts and the Eagles fell victim to a vintage comeback from Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium, seeing a 24-14 lead slip away.

The Chiefs fought back to prevail 38-35 in an Arizona thriller, despite an MVP-calibre performance from Hurts.

Hurts broke the Super Bowl record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback (70) and also tied records for the most points scored by a single player (20) and the most touchdowns from scrimmage (three).

He did, by contrast, also lose a second-quarter fumble that was recovered by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton and returned for a touchdown.

But to lay the blame at the feet of Hurts would be grossly unfair, with Sirianni perhaps more worthy of criticism for settling for a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter at the end of a 17-play drive.

That drive saw Hurts connect with Dallas Goedert on two outstanding throws, and Sirianni highlighted such high-difficulty completions as he lauded his signal-caller's efforts.

"To me, Jalen played the best game I've seen him play in the two years that we've been together," Siranni said. 

"He was outstanding. I really thought he was in complete control. He did things with his legs in the run game. He did things with his arm in the pass game, made some unbelievable throws, unbelievable reads.

"I thought he played outstanding. And you know you really look at the game and that was good for the NFL in the sense that the two best quarterbacks in the NFL played against each other on the biggest stage in the biggest lights. And Jalen played great."

Asked what he said to Hurts after the game, Sirianni added: "I know he's hurt and he's hurting. I just said, 'We'll work our butts off every day.' 

"I know he's going to get better from this, and he played really good. That's why I keep saying I don't think we know what Jalen's ceiling is because he is just going to continue to get better.

"But I said I was happy for him that he played his butt off. He left it all out there, played good in the run game, played good in the pass game, was in complete control of our offense. He led us to 35 points.

"I just told him I was happy for him. It just wasn't this year. I told him I thought it was his best game that he's played. It wasn't just this game. It was this entire season that he's shown to be a special leader, a special player. I'm sure glad he's our quarterback."

Kansas City Chiefs tackle Chris Jones said Patrick Mahomes simply has to be appreciated as he hailed the "once in a generation" talent setting the standards for another Super Bowl triumph.

Mahomes once again got the better of his ankle issue to propel the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl championship in the space of four seasons in Arizona on Sunday.

The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 at State Farm Stadium, as Mahomes – who took a blow late in the second quarter, having already had to deal with a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Divisional round – went on to become the first NFL MVP since Kurt Warner in 1999 to win the Super Bowl in the same season.

Mahomes threw three passing touchdowns and was not intercepted or sacked, leaving Jones in awe of his team-mate's excellence.

"He is a dog, next year y'all, we will be like 'is this his flu game?'," Jones said in a post-game press conference.

"I appreciate it, Pat is a once and generational lifetime type of player and sometimes he does things so special that it becomes normality for him.

"We've got to just appreciate Pat."

Asked what he thought when Mahomes was hobbling, Jones cited the standards set by coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs' QB as the reasoning behind the organisation's sustained success.

He said: "I knew there was blood in the water, because Pat is the type of competitor where if he's hurt or he's sick, he wants to come back and show everybody that he's even better now.

"That trickles down from coach Reid, he's the type of coach you'll never see hurt, never see sick. Even if he is sick, you wouldn't even know it.

"I think one time he had to get taken to the hospital after the game and no one knew. And he was at work the next day, he was handing schedules out the next day. It just trickles down the type of coach Reid is, the type of player Pat is, the type of organisation we have here."

Jones, who said he would be celebrating with a bottle of Yamazaki Japanese whiskey, added: "Coach Reid is legendary.

"I'm just very fortunate honestly, heck of guy, better person. He makes us all look good."

When it was put to Jones that he was now part of a dynasty, the 28-year-old said: "Do you think so? Well then there it goes, I don't have to speak about it.

"I told y'all this after our first Super Bowl, we going back-to-back, everybody laughed, everybody just thought I was talking out the side of my neck. We've been very fortunate, the core here, Pat Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Bud [Harrison Butker], Tommy [Townsend], Frank Clark.

"Clark came here his first year and won a Super Bowl, the core here is special. It's a special group of guys, that I was fortunate enough to play with this year in the D-line room. Got my fingers crossed that we can bring everybody back but I still want them to get paid and be successful.

"This is the bittersweet part about it, because you have a special room and you guys win it and you know the room is always changing, always evolving, players always coming in and out. I just want to say here on record that I am super, super grateful for the D-line this year.

"This is probably the most unselfish group that I've been a part of. Starting with Frank Clark, number three in all-time in sacks in the playoffs.

"I'm so grateful just to be in the Chiefs organisation, to be in this position, Just a kid from Houston, Mississippi coming out of Mississippi State. I didn't think I had a chance of going to Kansas City [inaudible] coming to visit me.

"Seven years later, two Super Bowl rings, four to five AFC championships and we're still going. This team has a lot of fight in them, I definitely feel we can be in position to compete again for another one. This is a special team, we keep this core together, keep Frank Clark, keep killing it, keep me and him together, I think we can be very, very special."

You can find many things on the field after a Super Bowl. Confetti is dotted around everywhere, along with fans, media and friends and family of the victorious all taking their time to dance around on it.

The other thing that was also extremely noticeable when strolling along the State Farm Stadium turf after a captivating Super Bowl LVII was divots. 

Every blade of grass at the home of Arizona Cardinals in Glendale came in for severe scrutiny as players often struggled to keep their feet on the biggest stage. Yet no area of the field was more significant than the 26 yards Patrick Mahomes covered with his incredible fourth-quarter scramble, which set the Chiefs up for a field goal that sealed a thrilling 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mahomes had already taken an awestruck crowd on a remarkable journey prior to that rush. His Super Bowl looked like it might be done when he injured his ankle on a second-quarter run, coming up limping heavily and striking fear into the hearts of Chiefs fans that they may have to overturn a 24-14 deficit with Chad Henne at quarterback.

That was not to be. Mahomes returned for the second half and returned to execute a tremendous Andy Reid gameplan that confounded the defense of his head coach's former team, Reid masterfully manipulating the Eagles with a combination of outside and inside runs, using the latter to set up passes to wide open receivers in the flat, Reid's use of motion proving devastating as he continually schemed his receivers into open space.

Indeed, both Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore were able to stroll in untouched for the scores that gave Kansas City a 35-27 fourth-quarter lead.

But, having seen Jalen Hurts answer in lightning quick fashion in this bewitching battle of the first black quarterbacks to face off in the Super Bowl, Mahomes did not rely on Reid's easy buttons to deliver the defining play of one of the finest Super Bowls of the modern era, he put the team on his back, and an injured ankle.

Mahomes gained speed belying his physical status as he scampered to the Philadelphia 17-yard line on a play that will stand alongside his third-and-15 connection with Tyreek Hill in Super Bowl LIV as the most magical in a career of a player who possesses endless reserves of wizardry.

Three plays later, James Bradberry was called for holding on third down, giving Kansas City a new set of downs and allowing the Chiefs to milk the clock before Harrison Butker sent his decisive kick sailing through the uprights with eight seconds left. Hurts' subsequent Hail Mary fell short, leaving an ecstatic Chiefs sideline to pour onto the field following another miraculous finish from Mahomes.

"Toughest son of gun you ever met man," tight end Travis Kelce said. "That Texas gunslinger ain’t going to let nothing get in the way."

Obstacles have been plenty for Mahomes throughout a postseason that looked as if it might come to an end in the Divisional round when he suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But Mahomes has what Muhammad Ali once defined as the pivotal combination that fosters champions, the skill and the will, and it is that blend that has elevated the Chiefs back to the top of the NFL mountain, with Reid crediting his formative years spent around baseball locker rooms with father Pat Mahomes for his apparently limitless drive.

“He grew up in a locker room. He’s seen the greats and he strives to be the greatest," said Reid. "Without saying anything, that's the way he works. He wants to be the greatest player ever. That's what he wants to do, and that's the way he goes about his business. He does it humbly. There's no bragging.

"He could stand up here and give you these stats that are incredible that he's had, but he is never go doing to that. That's just not him, and we appreciate that.

"Then when it's time for the guys around him to raise their game, he helps them with that. The great quarterbacks make everybody around him better, including the head coach, so he's done a heck of a job."

The first quarterback to win the Super Bowl and MVP in the same season since Kurt Warner in 1999, Mahomes is rapidly ascending up the ranks of the greatest to play the game.

Still only 27, he has a long time in which to continue his climb.

There are those who will argue he is already at the summit after appearing in three Super Bowls and winning two in his first five seasons as the starter.

Some will remain unconvinced whether that is the case, but this is a week in which Mahomes has removed all doubt as to his status as the NFL's current gold standard.

He collected 48 of the 50 ballots for MVP, which he won at Thursday's NFL Honors ceremony. After this incredible show of grit, it is fair to wonder how the vote was not unanimous.

But that will be of no concern to Mahomes. There will be more potentially unanimous MVPs and there will almost certainly be more Super Bowls.

Mahomes has not yet met a piece of adversity he cannot overcome and, still arguably shy of his prime, there is no ceiling to what he can achieve.

"He's special," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. "He's very special and the sky's the limit for him.

"Each and every year he takes his game to another level. The kid is special."

No argument here.

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."