EXCLUSIVE
I’m bold Eagles rookie who has broken the hearts of Caitlin Clark and Patrick Mahomes at same time with historic Super Bowl win
One Eagles rookie from Iowa has broken the hearts of Caitlin Clark and Patrick Mahomes at the same time.
For the once-overlooked Cooper DeJean, Super Bowl LIX already feels like a life breakthrough.
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"It's awesome to be here and to have this experience, especially as a young guy, first year in the league," DeJean exclusively told talkSPORT in New Orleans.
"You get the feeling of what it takes to get back here now.
"It's just about us continuing to do what we've done all year -- play our game, prepare like we've prepared all year to go out and play our best on Sunday."
DeJean and the Eagles certainly saved their best for last this season.
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They put on a Super Bowl clinic for the ages on Sunday night, blowing out the three-peat chasing Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to clinch their second Vince Lombardi Trophy.
DeJean celebrated his 22nd birthday in style, becoming the first player in Super Bowl history to intercept a pass or score a touchdown on his birthday when he returned a bad throw by Patrick Mahomes 38 yards for a TD to give Philadelphia a 17-0 second quarter lead.
It was the first pick-6 in a Super Bowl since Robert Alford had one for Atlanta against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots eight years ago.
“It’s crazy,” DeJean said. “I never thought that would happen. And it did happen. It’s pretty cool. I’m just happy we won the game.”
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DeJean beat Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Superdome while also sending Clark into NFL misery.
"Hopefully we can (break her heart)," DeJean joked ahead of Super Bowl LIX.
The current WNBA Rookie of the Year and former Hawkeyes superstar is a huge Chiefs fan.
Clark recently shared a playoff suite with Taylor Swift, who edges Clark as the world's most famous Kansas City supporter.
DeJean, who played four sports in high school, once teased that he could beat Clark in a 1-on-1 game of basketball.
"I think I can," said DeJean, who is set to appear in a new podcast entitled 'Exciting Whites' with teammate Reed Blankenship.
"She'd probably score a few buckets on me but I think I could pull it off."
The 6ft and 198lb Eagles rookie received social media blowback for those bold words.
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But now DeJean has overcome the Chiefs' dynasty and moved to 1-0 vs Clark when it truly matters.
He understands why Clark bleeds red.
"She’s been a Chiefs fan for a long time," said DeJean, who was wearing a bespoke green Rolex watch. "That's alright. I don't blame her."
Heading into the Super Bowl, DeJean, the No. 40 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, played in 16 games (nine starts) this season while recording 51 combined tackles, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
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He became an integral part of a Vic Fangio-coached Philly defense that answered a frustrating 2-2 start with win after win and eventual NFC dominance.
"We got off to a little bit of a rocky start," DeJean said. "We weren't playing as consistent as we'd like.
"But then after that bye week, we got everybody together and figured out what we needed to do to have success as a unit on defense and as a team as a whole."
DeJean, who was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was overlooked in high school despite putting up big numbers.
Remaining true to his athletic passions set him up for a growing NFL spotlight.
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"Playing all four sports in high school, I think each sport complements the other," DeJean said.
"There's a lot of similarities between the sports. Track obviously helps you with just about everything.
"Basketball and football, there's some similarities there. On the football field, getting to play quarterback in high school, I think helped me a lot.
"Just to see the game from an offensive perspective, from a quarterback's mind, I think it's helped me as a defensive player."
Unlike Clark, DeJean is a world champion at the end of his rookie season, but one thing is clear for the former Iowa star.
DeJean has watched Clark soar higher and higher, and he's amazed at what another former Hawkeye has already accomplished as a pro.
"It's been awesome getting to watch her in college and what she did," DeJean said.
"What she's done for the women's basketball game, it's really special.
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"I think she's probably the most exciting player to watch right now, men's or women's basketball. Just the way she plays the game.
"She can score, she can pass, she can do it all. She's taking women's basketball to the next level."
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