Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts turned heads on both sides of the border with his wardrobe choice on Thursday night, opting to honour an obscure piece of CFL history.
The 25-year-old showed up to his team’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts wearing a custom number 50 Birmingham Barracudas jersey. The short-lived US expansion team played just one season in 1995, going 10-8 and losing in the South Division Semi-Final before folding in the offseason.
.@JalenHurts rocking the custom 1995 Birmingham Barracudas jersey
Rare 🔥#INDvsPHI – 8pm ET on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/QoJAgBjErX— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2023
Notable former players to suit up with the Barracudas include three Hall of Famers in quarterback Matt Dunigan, defensive back Eddie Davis, and offensive lineman Freddie Childress; as well as all-star linebacker Shonte Peoples and future NFL Pro Bowl punter Scott Player. However, there is no record of a number 50 ever playing for the team.
According to one report, that was the number assigned to Jalen’s father, Averion Hurts, during a brief stint with the team. 3DownNation was unable to independently confirm that the elder Hurts, who played offensive line at Howard Payne University, was a member of the Barracudas as he never dressed for a regular season game.
The younger Hurts certainly spent time in the state of Alabama, playing for the Crimson Tide before transferring to the University of Oklahoma in his final collegiate season. Since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he has slowly established himself as one of the league’s elite quarterbacks.
The six-foot-one, 223-pound passer had a breakout 2022 season, throwing for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 760 yards and 13 majors along the ground. He was named a second-team All-Pro as he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl berth, losing 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Eagles will open their regular season on Sunday, September 10 against the New England Patriots.
