The Super Bowl's been won, the parade's been had, but the impact of it all will stick for a long, long time – forever, really.
Champions don't come around all that often in Philly, and before relatively recently, it was never the Eagles when one did.
But now it has. Twice. With two very differently constructed teams, the toppling of two different dynasties, and the hope that the group put together now is here for the long haul.
The NFL calendar is officially on to the offseason now, but Philadelphia and Eagles fans everywhere, they're going to hold on to every last second the past week, the past month, and the past season has brought. It just means that much.
Friday's Super Bowl parade was incredible. Fans packed the city hours ahead of time, before there was even any sunlight, to settle up on a spot and then endure all the cold and bitter winds just to see their champion Eagles go by – a scene that many used to think they'd never see once in their lifetime, much less twice.
And there were no strangers.
Bunched up closer and closer shoulder-to-shoulder the further up Broad the route got, almost inevitably, stories would get shared, more than a few drinks, too, and if you were nearby at my spot in front of the Union League building, hand and toe warmers, like a lot – seriously, those came in so clutch.
People you never knew until that morning quickly became friends, ones that you could instantly and effortlessly lead "E-A-G-L-E-S!" chants with, and the friends and family you showed up with already, they just grew that much closer, because around here and for many fans' entire lives, the Eagles are the ultimate unifier.
The Birds reaching the top of the mountain brings everyone else up with them, too, even if just for a little bit.
But it'll be cherished forever, because it doesn't happen often, even though there's some optimism flowing that maybe it could from now on.
For people outside of the Philadelphia sphere, you can show them pictures of the parade and of the celebration out in the city once the Super Bowl result was a lock, you can show them videos, you can tell them all about it, but really, it's something you're never going to fully understand until you're actually in it.
This city, and its sports history, it has a reputation, fair or not. To the outside, Philly's mean, angry, hates Santa, booed Donovan McNabb at the draft, destroys itself for every big win.
But it's all preconceived notions, that couldn't be further from what Philadelphia and its unique bond to the Eagles really is.
This place cares, more than any other, and when it gets a group like this 2024 team, that visibly cared just as much and put the puzzle all together to achieve the once thought impossible – and all while pummeling a Kansas City Chiefs team once thought untouchable – all the stars align, and there's a joy in the air that just can't be replicated any other way. It's special.
The celebration – the big one, that is – is over now, but make no mistake, its influence is going to linger for months, and be the spark of nostalgic chats and stories shared at the bar for years to come – forever, really.
You're going to be seeing Eagles Super Bowl hats and shirts everywhere (even in London), head nods walking by on the street are going to get answered with "Go Birds!" and any opening there is to call out that the Eagles did, in fact, win the Super Bowl (again), rest assured, some fan somewhere is going to take it.
Because this run, this season, everything, it just means that much.
What the Eagles accomplished just matters so much more here, and the Delaware Valley or wherever anyone might be repping Midnight or Kelly Green will carry that forever.
A few other quick thoughts…
Big money Hurts
Jalen Hurts came back from the Super Bowl defeat two years ago to win it all this time and take Super Bowl MVP honors in the process, with a performance that left what was supposed to be a strong Kansas City defense, albeit one that was very concerned with Saquon Barkley above anything else, completely stunned in what was at one point a 34-0 drubbing before the 40-22 final score settled.
In the just over a week since, there's been a lot of angles taken to put what Hurts has achieved into perspective: He's the first QB since John Elway to make it back and win the Super Bowl after losing it in his first trip there, the first QB from the 2020 draft class to win the Super Bowl (get there twice, too), and the first QB drafted after Patrick Mahomes to win it – beating the league's other established elite in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen to the punch.
But here's another wrinkle to it, and a potentially convention-breaking one: Hurts and the Eagles won the Super Bowl after he signed his major contract.
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Before, the usual thought around the NFL was that if you had a competing window, it would be open when your quarterback was on his rookie contract so that you would have the most money to spend everywhere else.
Granted, Mahomes was on his big-time contract, too, when the Chiefs won back-to-back titles the prior two years, but that figured to be an exception, much like everything else that got built up around Kansas City's image until the Eagles shattered it.
The rest of the league seeing the Eagles getting back and winning with Hurts, however, as he's getting paid $51 million a year, might start to shift how teams approach the quarterback position. But then again, Hurts has also been proving that he's a tremendous competitive exception himself.
Plus, league-wide thinking was also devolving into running back not being a worthwhile position to invest in, but Saquon Barkley blew that one up, too.
Jake the Make
There was so much the Eagles did in the Super Bowl, but it shouldn't get lost in translation how big Jake Elliott's night was.
He hit on all four of his field goals, even after having to kick a couple of re-dos from false starts, and converted on every extra point attempt to rack up a Super Bowl-record 16 points, the most ever scored by a kicker in the big game.
And Elliott was spotty this year, which was concerning the whole way through. He missed chip shots, he missed kicks far from out that he nailed no problem before, and overall, he missed eight field goals during the regular season (a career-worst gap).
But in the Super Bowl, he was perfect, and quietly for the Eagles, that was huge in helping to dig the Chiefs into that massive hole.
Then in the parade, he was just sniping beer cans in the street.
JAKE ELLIOTT BEER FIELD GOAL @BarstoolPhilly pic.twitter.com/wNdLnVxTAK
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 14, 2025
What a legend.
Fountain of youth
The Eagles won a title, and they pulled it off with a young team, which is part of what has been fueling the thinking that they're going to be around competing for a long time.
Back before the beginning of the season, our own Jimmy Kempski had the Eagles' roster at an average age of 25.6, which was the sixth-youngest in the NFL.
Obviously, the exact number has shifted a bit in the months since, but the core of that idea is still the same. Moreover, it's how the Eagles intend to maintain themselves that's going to keep the machine moving.
They're going to lose guys. Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Mekhi Becton, and Zack Baun are all free agents, and the Eagles aren't going to be able to pay all of them. Brandon Graham, if he sticks to his original "Farewell Tour" plan, will be headed toward retirement, and Darius Slay told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Ashlyn Sullivan before the NFC Championship that he wants to play one more season, but isn't sure if that season will be with the Eagles.
But there's a pipeline here. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, even as rookies, have shown more than capable of holding down the fort at cornerback, Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt look like they can keep taking on more responsibility along the defensive line, and Tyler Steen could very well be setting up to take over at right guard.
Players are going to leave, but right now the Eagles have others right behind them ready to step up, which doesn't include the ones they will re-up, or at least try to.
They won the Super Bowl, and all things considered, they're in a pretty good spot well beyond that.
You knew they'd be there
One more from the parade: Across the way on Broad, during the wait leading up, the crowd opposite the side I was on started going nuts out of nowhere.
No one could see what was happening, but then up over the barricade hopped Jason Kelce and then Brent Celek, who was in that same Harold Carmichael jersey he wore for the first parade in 2018.
They took off running toward City Hall, and were seen elsewhere by fans along the route and at the Art Museum.
Brent Celek and Jason Kelce leading the pack at the Eagles parade pic.twitter.com/IIKU1xbhkK
— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) February 14, 2025
You kind of knew they would be there, but still, the surrounding crowd lost it when they did pop out, and that was awesome to see.
They're both retired now, but still very much beloved by the Eagles faithful.
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