The mural in São Paulo tells a tale of two quarterbacks, their paths intertwined since that fateful 2020 NFL Draft. Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts, gaze down upon the Brazilian streets, a visual metaphor for their meteoric rise. As the NFL prepares for its South American debut, Love’s recent chat with Ryan Wood of USA Today Sports paints a picture of mutual respect that’s blossomed since draft night.

“He’s just a dog,” Love said of Hurts, his admiration evident. “He’s one of those quarterbacks who, he’s gonna scramble, and he’s not gonna slide. He’s gonna take some hits, and he’s a bigger guy.” It’s a far cry from the media circus that surrounded both players four years ago.

Rewind to April 2020. The Packers, fresh off a 13-3 season and an NFC Championship appearance, shocked the football world by trading up to select Love with the 26th overall pick. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell captured the collective disbelief: “How on earth could the Packers draft a quarterback in the first round when Aaron Rodgers desperately needs receiving help?”

Meanwhile, the Eagles raised eyebrows by snagging Hurts in the second round, despite having just handed Carson Wentz a massive contract extension. The move sparked debates about Wentz’s future and Hurts’ fit in Philadelphia. As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell noted at the time, “While the Eagles didn’t draft Jalen Hurts in the middle of the second round to replace Carson Wentz, Philly fans hoping to add more talent around their star quarterback were angered by the move.”

To bring you up to speed, as of 2024 the duo has come a long way and have successfully proven their doubters wrong. Firstly, Love has done it after watching over Rodgers for some time as an apprenticeship to take the Packers to the playoffs in his very first season as a starter. As for Hurts, he turned out to be the cornerstone of the franchise and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl appearance in 2022 while making himself one of the most effective dual quarterbacks in the entire league.

Now on September 6, they will meet in São Paulo and as they do, controversies have morphed into brotherhood. Love’s words have great respect for Hurts:  “I love the way he carries himself. Um, just, you know, obviously, um, his college career, you know, going from Bama to Oklahoma. Um, I just, I love his demeanor about, um, the game and just his dedication.”

From draft day doubts to gridiron greatness

The skepticism that once surrounded Love and Hurts has long since evaporated. Their performances on the field have rendered draft day debates moot, proving that sometimes, the best moves are the ones that raise the most eyebrows.

The mutual respect was not left unnoticed by the NFL as well. The inclusion of both QBs’ faces in the “mural” in Sao Paulo has particular relevance to the position of each player’s importance in the execution of the overall strategy of the global growth of the game. It is a fact that Love gushed, “I’m excited. Um, I definitely think it’s, it’s a very cool opportunity, um, to be able to play in front of a fan base who a lot of those people might not have seen the NFL game, might be their first NFL game.”

Hurts echoed the same sentiment in a different interview, saying, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s something to be very excited about, the international stage.” The Eagles quarterback also reflected on that moment and added “Brazil, from what I’ve heard, is a very amazing place, a beautiful place. And a very passionate place as well when it comes to sports and their fans.”

It has not been the case that the road to this juncture has been smooth. There were three seasons in which Love sat on the benches behind Aaron Rodgers, akin to how Rodgers himself sat behind Brett Favre in his younger days. Hurts, on the other hand, had to wrestle through and emerged in the starting quarterback role after Carson Wentz in Philly, who had quite a salt to his role there.

It has been their strength and spirit that have been tested and they overcame soaring. As Barnwell said back in 2020, “The Eagles can’t count on Wentz staying healthy.” This turned out to be true as Hurts had to step up in time when needed and in due course rose to the staggering achievements of the Eagles.

With the day of the contest now within shooting distance, each player, and the quarterback in particular, shall be more than eager to demonstrate their skills in a global setting. This is a world away from the chaos of 2020 draft day, secured correctly, bounced around by their ability to grow and the craziness that is an NFL career.

As Love and Hurts move to the center of Corinthians stadium, ready to walk the two teams into the contest, they are not only the hope of each of the teams that they play for but the weight of history as pioneers in the NFL’s South American expansion.