For Tom Brady, the Super Bowl stage cemented his GOAT status. And quite rightly so! It serves as the ultimate proving ground for those eager to leave their mark, and Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean took full advantage of it. He played a pivotal role in crushing Patrick Mahomes & Co.’s hopes of a three-peat with a game-changing pick-six. His standout performance put him firmly in the conversation for Super Bowl MVP—an honor he never imagined competing for in his debut season.
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Cooper DeJean recently appeared on Pardon My Take, where he candidly revealed that his goal was to give his all against the Chiefs. The thought of being a Super Bowl MVP, let alone a contender for it, never crossed his mind. But his brilliant performance, especially his historic pick-six, left a lasting impression on fans’ hearts.
This resulted in the Eagles rookie receiving the most votes on the official NFL website, even eclipsing Jalen Hurts and Josh Sweat. Unfortunately for DeJean, fan votes only contribute 20% of the decision to crown a Super Bowl MVP, and the remaining 80% is based on the votes of 16 media panelists.
Interestingly enough, Cooper DeJean had no idea how much support he had received from fans. Nonetheless, he admitted that Jalen Hurts deserved to win.
“I didn’t ever think about that, to be honest. I didn’t see it until after the game—I didn’t realize it at all. After that pick, I was probably pretty high on the list for Super Bowl MVP at that point. But, you know, the game Jalen had—he obviously deserved that. I kind of forgot all about it until after the game.”
Despite being surprised by his chances for SB MVP, DeJean couldn’t hide his pride about that special moment.
Cooper DeJean opens up on the impact of his pick-six
The Eagles DB’s crucial involvement came with the pick-six that started the burial of Kansas City’s offense and dreams. Up until that point, the Chiefs were trailing by 10 points, and the game was barely out of their grasp.
But the moment Cooper DeJean scored his defensive TD, the Eagles went up by 17-0, a scoreline that took the game and belief away from Andy Reid’s men. It was a decisive momentum-shifting play—a take DeJean admitted himself.
“Anytime you get a defensive touchdown in any game, it changes the tide. Especially in a Super Bowl, being able to go up 17-0 after a defensive touchdown is huge for any team. I think it just helped us continue to roll through that game.”
Cooper DeJean proved that sometimes a single play is enough to etch your name into Super Bowl history. The rookie may not have won the MVP, but he walked away with something just as priceless—NFL stardom.
