Eagles' Jalen Hurts Likely Out for Season With Blood Clots

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will likely miss the rest of the 2026 season after doctors found deep vein thrombosis in his calf and blood clots in both lungs, the team announced Monday, according to NBC News.

The Super Bowl MVP has not played since Oct. 11, when the Eagles lost 19-17 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. He was held out of Sunday's 25-14 home loss to the Carolina Panthers once the more serious diagnosis surfaced, NBC News reported.

What Is Jalen Hurts' Diagnosis?

The Eagles said Hurts was initially diagnosed with superficial vein thrombosis in his left calf before follow-up testing revealed something more severe. "After further testing and monitoring, the current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli," the team said in a statement reported by NBC News. The club added that Hurts "is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations."

Both conditions fall under venous thromboembolism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as cited by NBC News. Deep vein thrombosis occurs when a clot forms in a vein deep inside the body, most often the leg. Pulmonary embolism happens when a piece of that clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs, where it can block blood flow and, in severe cases, prove fatal, per the CDC guidance referenced in the report.

How Did the Clots Progress Before the Diagnosis?

The timeline matters because Hurts kept playing after the first finding. A superficial clot was detected in London ahead of the Jaguars game, and the Eagles' medical staff cleared him to play anyway. "Our medical staff and doctors in London reviewed the results and concluded that activity and mobility were important and that [Hurts] could safely play," the team said last week, according to NBC News. Hurts finished that game "without limitation," the club said at the time.

A follow-up scan back in Philadelphia changed the picture, surfacing the deep vein clot and the pulmonary emboli that led to Sunday's decision to sit him against Carolina.

What Treatment Is Hurts Receiving Now?

Hurts is being treated with blood thinners, the Eagles said. During that treatment window, he will not be cleared for any contact activity, including football, the team said in its statement to NBC News. No return timeline was given beyond the team's assessment that he is clinically stable.

What Does This Mean for the Eagles' Season?

The Eagles have not played their quarterback since the London trip, and Monday's update makes clear the absence is not a short one. The team's statement framed Hurts as likely out for the remainder of 2026 rather than week-to-week, a shift from the superficial-clot diagnosis that briefly allowed him to keep playing through it.

The Eagles enter the stretch run having already dropped consecutive games without Hurts under center, a 19-17 defeat in London followed by a 25-14 loss to Carolina at home, both figures confirmed by NBC News' account of the team's results.

Why Did Doctors Initially Clear Him to Play?

The sequence raises an obvious question for fans and medical observers alike: how did a player with a known clot take the field in London at all? The Eagles' own explanation, delivered before the deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli were confirmed, was that doctors viewed continued mobility as protective rather than risky for a superficial clot. That calculus did not hold once scans back home showed the clot had progressed into the deep vein system and into both lungs, prompting the shift to blood thinners and a full stop on contact work.

The gap between the two diagnoses, superficial vein thrombosis one week and deep vein thrombosis with bilateral pulmonary emboli the next, is the core fact driving Monday's announcement. The Eagles have not said what caused the progression or whether playing through the initial clot contributed to it.

For now, the team's public position rests on two data points: Hurts remains clinically stable, and he is barred from any contact activity while on blood thinners. Those two facts, more than any specific return date, define where his 2026 season stands.