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Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is a man of many titles. Super Bowl champion. Super Bowl LIX MVP. Philadelphia Citizen of the Year. One of TIME's 100 Most Influential People. Now, a published author.
Hurts announced Monday the release of his first children's book, "Better Than a Touchdown," with a March 10, 2026, release date. The book is available for preorder from Penguin Random House.
In a video posted on Instagram, Hurts said publishing a children's book has always been a dream of his.
"I'm very excited to share this moment with you guys. It's always been a dream of mine to have my own children's book, and I'm blessed to say that dream has become a reality with 'Better than a Touchdown,'" Hurts said. "It's a lot of hard work, a lot of love put into this book. It's very heartfelt because without the lessons learned, I wouldn't be here where I am today. So I'm excited to extend those lessons to the next generation, and hopefully it helps lift them just as the many lessons I learned did the same for me."
"Better Than a Touchdown" tells the story of Jalen and his friends, who are excited to begin the school year and try out for the football team, only to discover that the program has been cut. Jalen doesn't get discouraged and turns to the community to help save the program.
"'Better than a Touchdown' is a love letter to the power of community, being there for one another, and how a piece of good advice can change the course of a day," the book's description reads on Penguin Random House. "Told with Jalen's signature wisdom and gorgeous art by Nneka Myers, Better than a Touchdown carries a message we can all learn from: that by working together, there's nothing we can't accomplish."
Hurts joins Eagles legends Brian Westbrook ("The Mouse Who Played Football") and Brandon Graham ("BG's ABCs: Tackling Football and Life") to publish children's books.
Tom Dougherty
Tom Dougherty is a digital content producer for CBS Philadelphia. Before joining CBS Philadelphia, Tom covered sports for NBC Sports Philadelphia. He currently covers breaking news and sports.