Jalen Hurts Out for Season With Blood Clots in Lungs

Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season. The Eagles and his agent, Nicole Lynn, said Monday that new testing found deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning blood clots in his lungs, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the treatment will keep him out at least three months.

That is a gut punch for a 2-4 team that is still sitting second in the NFC East. Philadelphia already put Hurts on injured reserve Saturday, and now the quarterback room belongs to Tanner McKee for the foreseeable future.

What the Eagles Said

The joint statement laid out how this went from a calf issue to a season-ender. Hurts was first diagnosed by specialists in London with a superficial vein thrombosis in his left calf. "After further testing and monitoring, the current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli," the statement said. Hurts is "clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations," and his treatment should only involve blood thinners. While he is on them, he is not allowed to take part in any contact activity, football included.

The good news is in the next line. "Jalen's prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery," the team and Lynn said, adding that they anticipate no long-term effects and that Hurts will stay active around the team and keep conditioning.

How It Got Here

The Eagles said Hurts first asked for treatment on his calf on Oct. 8, telling the medical staff he had been cleated in the Oct. 4 loss to the Rams. An ultrasound after the team landed in London showed a superficial clot, and doctors there cleared him to play. He did, throwing 40 passes in the 19-17 loss to Jacksonville at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A follow-up ultrasound last Wednesday showed movement in the clot, and he was ruled out for Carolina the next day.

Per Rapoport, the clot is considered "provoked" because Hurts was cleated in the calf, which is part of why the long-term outlook is favorable. Philly fans will take that part of the news.

McKee's Team Now

McKee got his first look Sunday and went 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown in a 25-14 home loss to the Panthers. The offense sputtered for most of the afternoon before a late push. If you were holding Hurts in fantasy, it is time to move on, and anyone hoping McKee becomes a weekly starter needs to see a lot more than that box score first.

This is a franchise that won a Super Bowl with Hurts as MVP, and now it has to find a way to stay in the division race without him. The Eagles get a few extra days to figure it out, because the Cowboys come to Lincoln Financial Field on Monday, Oct. 26, at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. Beat Dallas there and this season still has a pulse.