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PHILADELPHIA -- Former safety Malcolm Jenkins will be inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame during Friday's game against the Chicago Bears at Lincoln Financial Field (3 p.m. ET, Fox). Jenkins is a two-time Super Bowl champion, a three-time Pro Bowler, and one of the sports world's most impactful advocates for social change during his time as a player. He was the undisputed leader of the first Eagles team to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. His experiences as the front man in Philadelphia allow him a unique perspective into the post quarterback Jalen Hurts now holds, both as someone who helped guide a team to a championship, and one charged with keeping things on track now that the glow from that title has given way to a colder, pricklier reality. "It's all the lies you tell yourself, that's what makes it hard," Jenkins said of the season following a title. "Because you just won a Super Bowl. So even though you go back to the starting line, in your mind, you are a Super Bowl-caliber team and you think you deserve, almost, to get there, even if you don't talk about it, you might say the right things internally. "A lot of times, you lie to yourself. The fans lie to themselves. Everyone in the sport tells you how good you are and why they expect you to do something. And then the season comes and you realize that this season has nothing to do with last year. ... And I think the faster teams get to that truth, that they're starting at zero and [not to] take anything for granted, I think those are the teams that can repeat, that can create dynasties, and that can stand the test of time." Jenkins' Hall of Fame induction comes at a pivotal point in the Eagles' 2025 season. They are fresh off a meltdown against the Dallas Cowboys in which a 21-0 lead flipped to a stinging 24-21 loss. Some things that seemed to come so easily to the '24 squad, like the Saquon Barkley-led ground game, are now maddingly hard. Frustrations are brewing and reports of discontent are surfacing, some pointed at Hurts and the way he is operating the offense. Jenkins has a personal relationship with Hurts. He saw something in him when Hurts was just a rookie. Hurts' first start was in 2020 against the New Orleans Saints, a 24-21 Eagles win. Jenkins, who spent the first five years of his career in New Orleans, was back with the Saints then, and told Hurts on the field afterward, "Hey, keep doing your thing. This is a tough city but you're ready for it." "I think in watching him as an opponent, and as a fan, there is nobody else who's more equipped to be in the position that he's in right now," Jenkins said. "I've watched quarterbacks and players my whole career, not many could be in the seat that he's in. I recognized that very early, and I think it's no surprise that he's standing here now a Super Bowl champion, still leading one of the best teams in the National Football League, all while holding all of it on his shoulders." In talking about the criticism a leader like Hurts faces, and the many different internal pulls, Jenkins likened it to his father driving the car on a family road trip. "He's the one driving. He's got his hands on the wheels. He's looking for all of the hazards. He's the one getting us to the destination. And a lot of us are in the backseat complaining about how bumpy a ride is, how close we got to almost crashing. And really it's up to him to keep his focus and block it all out because he's in that position. And I think that's really what leadership is about, it's like, hey, if you're the one with the hands on the wheel, everybody's allowed an opinion, it's fine, but your focus has to be on the main thing, and that's getting us to where we're going," Jenkins said. "I'm a big fan of Jalen, not only because of my personal relationship, but just because of what he stands for and understanding myself what it looks like to have a vision for a team, something that maybe not everybody sees, but I have to stand 10 toes down on it until everybody sees what I see." Jenkins' arrival in Philadelphia, like Hurts', wasn't met with a ton of excitement. There were other big-name safeties that were the apple of the fan base's eye in free agency, but the Eagles instead inked the versatile Jenkins to a three-year, $15.5 million contract in March 2014. Jenkins started all 96 regular-season games in his six seasons in Philadelphia and was on the field for 99% of the defensive snaps in five of those campaigns. He posted 11 interceptions (four of which he returned for touchdowns), 58 passes defensed and over 500 tackles. He guided the 2017 team to the Super Bowl despite injuries to quarterback Carson Wentz, tackle Jason Peters and a host of others, and did so while moonlighting as a head of the Players Coalition, which included trips to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on days off to fight for bills that pushed forward social reform. (Jenkins is a co-founder of the Players Coalition which works with professional athletes, coaches and owners across leagues to improve social justice and racial equality in the country). "I think as athletes, we're always trying to blame blocking out distractions. We don't want to do anything outside of our routine, but I think that makes us great football players but really ineffective citizens. I wanted to be both and understood that required sacrifice," Jenkins said. "I think it was well worth it when we started to see the impact that we have, we understand our power as athletes to convene people, to get meetings, to amplify work, to support community, and it requires us nothing but energy and time. And when you think about that, especially now on this end of it when I'm no longer on the field, I don't think we consider how much energy and time the community gives us. People show up every week, every year, for generations, with energy, passion, pride, support, money, and so when you start to really compare those things, it's really not that big of a sacrifice. I felt more of a responsibility if I was going to call this place home."
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