On the famed steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Friday afternoon, the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory parade came to its conclusion after riding buses through the City of Brotherly Love.
Speaking from the podium to a crowd of Eagles fans, Super Bowl LIX MVP-winning quarterback Jalen Hurts took in the moment as he celebrated his first Lombardi Trophy in front of one of Philly’s most iconic monuments.
“We can't do it without the fans. We appreciate you; we love you,” Hurts said as the audience showered him with “MVP” chants. “You know, I told myself that when I got drafted that I wouldn't come to the Rocky steps until I won the championship. And now we're here.”
Just five days after the Eagles’ dominant victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, the Eagles gathered to celebrate the franchise's second Super Bowl victory in the rematch of a loss they suffered on that stage two years ago.
Referencing the tough road to get back to the big game, which included a frustrating end to the 2023 campaign and a 2-2 start to this year, Hurts shouted out his team’s effort of fighting through adversity to reach the top, before looking ahead toward a chance at doing it again in 2025.
“I know this year, this team has had to battle through so much, this team has had to fight. This team has had to persevere. There's been a ton of scrutiny, a ton of opinions, a ton of all of that,” Hurts said. “But I know, about this city, one thing we do -- we fight. We fight. And you go through the course of these things, and you learn that success isn't built off of approval. It's built off of endurance, it's built off of strength. You can't lose if you don't quit. And in Philly, we don't quit. So, thank you.
“The next pursuit begins. Go Birds."
Other highlights of the Eagles’ victory parade speeches on Friday:
- Eagles owner and CEO Jeffrey Lurie came to the mic first, describing the experience as surreal and saying, “There are no friggin words to describe delivering a world championship to our incredible fan base. There's just nothing that could compare and today, this parade -- there's no words. Today, Valentine's Day, is the perfect day to celebrate this love affair between this sports team and Eagles fans here and everywhere.”
- Head coach Nick Sirianni looked back at a pivotal moment in December when he reminded the team the path to the Super Bowl would have to run through their home stadium, saying, “We had three out of the last four at home, and we were practicing outside every day and practicing at the stadium every other couple days, and I said, 'Hey, we're gonna have to go to the Super Bowl and to win that Super Bowl, we're gonna have to go out in Lincoln Financial in front of the best fans in the world and win some games.' And we did exactly that.”
- Despite suffering a visible head injury during the parade, general manager Howie Roseman was not phased. Roseman leaned into the moment, telling the crowd “I bleed for this city! Go Eagles! Our players, our staff have done an unbelievable job. We are two-time world champs and we're coming back strong. Go birds!”
- Wide receiver A.J. Brown used his time to reference Rocky Balboa’s iconic “Adrian!” yell, before dismissing discussion about his alleged unhappiness with his usage during the Eagles’ playoff run, saying, “They said I was a diva. They said all I care about was stats. You're gonna get all those things wrong about me, but one thing you can get right: I'm a f------ champion!"
- As Saquon Barkley thanked his team and fans for a great year, the crowd roared its approval for their star player, including breaking out in chants of "Thank you Giants" for the NFC East rival letting the running back go in free agency last offseason.
- Multiple players led the crowd in sing-alongs, including offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, who forwent a speech in favor of putting his well-renowned pipes to use in leading a rendition of Queen’s “We Are the Champions”.
- Guard Landon Dickerson thanked the Philly faithful for their dedication and ability to make their presence known at any stadium they visit, saying “Every Sunday, Monday, Thursday, it doesn’t matter, I don’t think I’ve played a f------ away game my entire career!”
- Coming up to the podium last was defensive end Brandon Graham, who improbably returned from a torn triceps injury to play in the Super Bowl in what he has indicated might have been his final NFL season. Though there was no confirmation of any retirement, Graham took the time to thank Philadelphia for his career, saying “I’ve been so thankful to have been able to play and really grow up here pretty much half my life. 15 years, I came here at 21 and now I’m about to be 37, winning my second Super Bowl!” He then appeared to look toward his future with the team, saying, “We’re going to stay gritty, we’re going to stay working, I’m always going to be a part of Philly no matter what, and I’m so thankful to have been here.”