Super Bowl LVII is not only a great matchup — with the Philadelphia Eagles currently going off as slim 1.5-point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs — but also a historic one.
The Big Game in Glendale, Arizona, will be the first championship contest in NFL history to feature two Black starting quarterbacks — the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.
The two quarterbacks were essentially co-favorites for the NFL MVP throughout most of the regular season, but Mahomes pulled away after Hurts picked up a late injury, though both remain finalists for the award.
And while their two seasons are comparable on the field, their current contracts are anything but.
- In 2020, Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million deal worth up to $503 million with incentives — marking the highest value in North American sports history.
- Hurts is in the third season of his four-year, $6.03 million rookie deal. As a second-round draft pick, the 24-year-old’s pact doesn’t include a fifth-year option.
However, Hurts could be in line to match Mahomes as soon as this offseason — especially if he can lead Philadelphia to its second Super Bowl title.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says Hurts is extension-eligible this offseason — and he and the Eagles are expected to work out a “big-time, monster extension.”
Breaking Barriers
Mahomes and Hurts aren’t the only ones breaking barriers in Arizona.
Eagles assistant coach Autumn Lockwood is set to be the first Black woman — and fourth woman ever — to coach in a Super Bowl.
