Season-ending diagnosis

The Philadelphia Eagles said on Monday, 19 October, that quarterback Jalen Hurts will miss the rest of the 2026 NFL season after further testing found blood clots in both lungs. In a joint statement with his agent, Nicole Lynn, the team described a deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. The Eagles said Hurts is clinically stable and that his treatment will rely only on anticoagulants, commonly called blood thinners. While on them he may not take part in any contact activity, including football. Media reports said the treatment will last at least three months, and the team expects a full recovery with no long-term effects.

“We are thinking of Jalen and looking forward to a strong recovery.”

How the diagnosis changed

The problem began in his left calf. The team says Hurts first complained of calf pain on 8 October, and reports link the injury to a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in which an opponent stepped on his calf. He played in London on 11 October, a 19-17 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and reports said he had been in hospital until 4am beforehand and had not slept before the game. Specialists in London first diagnosed a superficial vein thrombosis, but further testing later found a deep vein thrombosis and multiple clots in his lungs. The team ruled him out for the Carolina game on Thursday, 15 October, and placed him on injured reserve on Saturday, 17 October.

Blood thinners and the risk on the field

Dr. Ashwin Rao, who sits on the board of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and once worked as a team doctor for the Seahawks, explained the risk to The New York Times. Rao put the concern in plain terms.

“If they suffered an injury to, say, their head, for example, being on a blood thinner can cause a brain bleed.”

Rao said blood thinners work by blocking the effect of clotting factors, the substances that help blood seal an injury. A muscle strain such as a quad injury could bleed much more heavily in a player on the medication. The team has tied any return to football to coming off the blood thinners, and it has not given a date.

Eagles on the field

Tanner McKee started in place of Hurts in a 25-14 home loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 18 October. It was the Eagles' fourth straight defeat, leaving them at 2-4 and one and a half games behind the New York Giants in the NFC East. Head coach Nick Sirianni spoke about changes after the game without giving specifics.

“To do the same thing over and over again and not get the results, that'd be foolish.”

The Eagles face three division games against the Cowboys, Commanders and Giants. The New York Times reported that winning two of them would leave Philadelphia at 4-5 going into its bye week, while losing two could push the team toward selling players at the trade deadline.

Hurts' career and season

Hurts, 28, is in his seventh season with the Eagles and has been a three-time Pro Bowler. He was MVP of Super Bowl LIX, the game in which Philadelphia beat the Kansas City Chiefs. He has held the starting job since late in 2020, and across his regular-season career he has thrown for 18,824 yards and 118 touchdowns, with 48 interceptions, and run for 3,661 yards and 64 scores. This season he has thrown for 933 yards and eight touchdowns in five starts.

Passing yards18,824

Rushing yards3,661

Passing yards

18824 yards

Rushing yards

3661 yards

Data from the article text