The best Eagles Super Bowl parade speeches, from 'I bleed for this city' to a Philly sing-along

Gabriela Carroll, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Feb 14, 2025

Published in Football

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PHILADELPHIA — Howie Roseman quite literally bled for the city of Philadelphia on Friday, after he got whacked in the head with a beer can at some point during the procession up Broad Street.

Whether Roseman intentionally referenced his injury during his speech or not, telling the crowd, “I bleed for this city,” his was one of the early entries in a fun afternoon of speeches, many of which were heavily bleeped out on TV, from the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights …

A first for Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts shared that he’d never been to the museum before Friday — and not because he doesn’t appreciate art.

“I told myself I wouldn’t come to the Rocky steps until I won a championship,” Hurts said during his speech. “Now we are here.”

A.J. Brown responds to his critics

Wide receiver A.J. Brown used the opportunity to push back against the negativity he’s received for much of his career, which led him to occasionally clash with the media.

“They said I was a diva, they said all I care about was stats,” Brown said. “You can get all those things wrong about me, but there’s one thing you can get right. I’m a [expletive] champion.”

Jordan Mailata sings with the crowd

While Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship struggled to rap Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” with the fans in attendance, Jordan Mailata led the crowd in a rendition of “We Are The Champions,” which is much easier to do in a group.

Saquon Barkley shares the stage

A big theme of Saquon Barkley’s post-Super Bowl tour has been about drawing strength from others — including demanding that his offensive linemen join him and Jalen Hurts on The Tonight Show earlier this week. At Friday’s parade, Barkley took that a step further, by bringing New Orleans terror attack survivor and Eagles fan Ryan Quigley on stage with him.

Quigley, who lost his best friend Tiger Bech in that Jan. 1 attack, returned to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, and was honored on the field before kickoff

Landon Dickerson shouts out the fans

Landon Dickerson gave one of the best speeches of the afternoon, praising the fans for the energy they bring.

“When I got drafted here, everybody said it was impossible to play in Philly,” Dickerson told the crowd. “I found out all y’all want is for us to give everything we can for this city, and y’all give it right back. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you guys every [expletive] game, every Sunday, Monday, Thursday. It doesn’t matter. I don’t think I’ve played a [expletive] away game my entire career.”

Big Dom gets a moment in the spotlight

Even head of security Big Dom DiSandro took to the stage for a brief speech, but ever a man of few words, just said, “Yo, Philly! I love you! That’s all I got!”

Lane Johnson shares his teammates’ lessons

Lane Johnson, one of the Eagles’ longest-tenured players, shared the wisdom he’s learned over the years from former and current coaches and teammates, referencing some of their iconic past quotes.

“It was Jeff Stoutland that taught me ‘no man is an island,’ you must draw your strength from others. It was Jason Kelce that taught me nothing in the world can take the place of persistence and to always press on. Coach Sirianni taught me about dog mentality. Nick Foles taught me how to speak softly and to carry a big stick,” Johnson said with a smile, pausing for a second. “That was actually Teddy Roosevelt, but I thought it was pretty fitting. And Jalen Hurts taught me how to have a purpose before someone had an opinion.”

Brandon Graham closes it down

Brandon Graham, the Birds’ longest-tenured player who returned from what looked like a season-, if not career-ending injury to play in Super Bowl LIX, ended the proceedings — but didn’t comment on his plans for the future.

“Right now, I’m so thankful to be here. So thankful to be part of this organization because y’all have molded me into the man I am today with all the trials and tribulations that you go through in life,” Graham said. “When you service one another, great things come from it. I’m so thankful. I’m telling you I’m at a loss for words because I know that everybody together, we’re stronger. And we showed that this year in that last game. The only problem that I have is that it’s over. This season is over and we’re getting ready for the next one. This one was so special because we came together and everybody balled.

“It’s about being gritty. We gonna stay gritty. We gonna stay working. I’m going to always be a part of Philly no matter what, you know what I’m saying. I’m so thankful to have been here.”

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Staff writers Ariel Simpson and Fallon Roth contributed to this article.