Should Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts have been named the Super Bowl LIX MVP? Most fans and analysts will unequivocally say yes. However, someone within the team thinks he deserved the award more.
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Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat feels he would have been a worthy Super Bowl LIX MVP. “I should’ve had it. I could’ve had it. It’s all good, though,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Josh McLane, raising quite a few eyebrows.
Shannon Sharpe did not like Sweat expressing this opinion this soon after the Super Bowl. In a fiery rant on Nightcap, Sharpe said that the Defensive End shouldn’t be “complaining” about “an individual award”.
“You won the Super Bowl… You won the Super Bowl and you’re complaining about… an individual award… he played really well… [but] it’s too soon [to complain]. Maybe 10 years from now, y’all sitting on the porch… ‘I should have been Super Bowl MVP.’ I say that then. Not now,” said Sharpe.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Sweat finished second in Super Bowl MVP voting. The seventh-year pro notched six tackles (two tackles for loss) and 2.5 sacks in Philly’s 40-22 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs. Sweat’s tackle and sack numbers matched Von Miller’s production in Super Bowl 50 when Miller won the Super Bowl 50 MVP in 2016.
Hurts, meanwhile, posted 293 total yards and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) for Philadelphia. He completed 77.3% (17/22) of his passes.
It’s clear both men have legitimate cases for the award. But to Chad Johnson — who also chimed in on Sweat’s comments — there was only one worthy candidate.
Johnson joins Super Bowl LIX MVP debate
Johnson praised Sweat and the Eagles’ defense, saying they “gave Mahomes hell” and “beat the offensive line up so bad, I felt bad for Mahomes.”
However, he believes Hurts was responsible for Philadelphia’s eventual victory.
“I understand it. [Sweat] had a hell of a performance. He was a big reason, a big part of their success defensively, so I totally get it. But in the grand scheme of things, [Jalen Hurts] had one hell of a game and… was the reason they were able to win that game… [Hurts] deserved that MVP,” said Ocho.
Sweat missed out on the prestigious award, but won’t be sweating things roughly one month from now. The pending free agent is set to land a big contract at the start of the new season.
Even without Super Bowl MVP honors, Spotrac projects Sweat to average $18.8 million annually in his next deal. The 27-year-old will have the chance to negotiate with non-Eagles franchises from 12:00 p.m. E.T. on Mar. 10.
