PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2025 campaign hyper-focused on turning the page from their Super Bowl run last season, to the point where terms such as "defending champs" and "repeat" are being left on the cutting-room floor.
"We're the 2024 world champs, that's it. We're not defending s---," Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said after the team's first training camp practice Wednesday. "I don't like hearing we're the defending champions. We're not defending nothing.
"We just won the title, and now we've got to go win it again, prove it all over again. That's the mentality this team is going to have. We're not here to prove anything to anyone else but ourselves and we know the mission. We're mission-focused."
That messaging is coming from both inside the building and out. Jalen Hurts spent some time this offseason with Michael Jordan, whose advice to the Eagles quarterback was to avoid using the word "repeat" as Philadelphia starts a fresh campaign.
"It's a new journey. It's a new season," Hurts said, "and those things are far behind us. The past is behind us, and the future is too far away, so we have to stay present and worry about right now."
The source of motivation following a title can be different from player to player. A.J. Brown, for example, said he believes he is the best receiver in the game and plans to "put a stamp on it" this year.
Avoiding distractions isn't easy -- the Eagles just received their Super Bowl rings Friday at a red carpet event held at Ballers at the Battery in Philadelphia -- which is likely why the emphasis on staying focused on the task at hand has been so heavily emphasized.
"You got a lot of steps to go and daily work to put in," coach Nick Sirianni said. "Every year at training camp feels the same. You're not looking back, you're not looking forward, you're solely focused on today and how we can get better today."
