Jalen Hurts to Miss Rest of Season After Blood Clots Found in His Lungs

Updated 02:30 UTC, Oct 26, 2026

The NFL and the NFL Players Association said in a joint statement on Sunday that they are working together to review the matter involving Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. The statement, reported by Field Level Media, is the first joint step since the players association pushed for an investigation into how Hurts was cleared to play in London after a blood clot was found in his calf.

Hurts is on injured reserve and is expected to miss the rest of the season. A clot first described as superficial in his left calf became a deep vein thrombosis that led to clots in each lung, and he cannot take part in football activities until he is off blood thinners. Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday at the league meetings in New York that the Eagles and the NFL followed all necessary protocol. The league's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, defended the decision to clear Hurts for the October 11 game against Jacksonville in London and rejected suggestions that selfish motives played a part.

The sequence is now the centre of the review. Hurts was cleated in the calf against the Los Angeles Rams on October 4 and told the team's medical staff after practice on October 8. An ultrasound done out of caution after the flight to London found the superficial clot, and he played. A follow-up ultrasound after the Wednesday practice following the London game found that the clot had moved, and Hurts was shut down for the season.

Updated 19:08 UTC, Oct 19, 2026

Jalen Hurts will miss the rest of the season after further testing found blood clots in both of his lungs, the Eagles and his agent Nicole Lynn said on Monday. The new diagnosis is deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. Specialists in London had first diagnosed a superficial clot in his left calf.

Hurts is stable, has no significant functional limitations, and his prognosis is very good, the statement said. The team expects a full recovery and no long-term effects. His treatment is blood thinners, and he cannot take part in contact activities while he is on them. He will stay active around the team and keep conditioning, and he is expected to resume contact football when he comes off the blood thinners. ESPN reported that Hurts played in London after a hospital stay that lasted until 4 a.m. the night before the game.

Tanner McKee started in Hurts' place on Sunday, and the Eagles lost 25-14 at home to the Carolina Panthers, their fourth straight loss. Philadelphia is now 2-4. In five starts this season, Hurts completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 933 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

Updated 08:05 UTC, Oct 18, 2026

The Eagles placed Hurts on injured reserve on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, so the absence that started as one game is now at least four. The team made the move after consultations with several doctors and experts, ESPN and NFL Network reported. Hurts must miss at least four games under the injured reserve rules: Sunday against Carolina, then Dallas, at Washington and the New York Giants. Philadelphia then has its bye week, and the earliest Hurts can return is the Week 11 game against Pittsburgh.

The decision reversed the plan reported earlier on Saturday, when ESPN said the Eagles did not intend to use injured reserve. By Saturday afternoon the team announced the move. The Eagles believe the clot is treatable, and Hurts and his medical team will decide when he can play again. A player cannot play while taking blood thinning medication, and ESPN reported that a course of that medication usually runs at least about six weeks.

Tanner McKee will make his third career start on Sunday against Carolina. Rookie Cole Payton was promoted to back him up, and the Eagles signed quarterback Joe Milton off the Dallas practice squad. In five games this season, Hurts has thrown for 933 yards and eight touchdowns, with three interceptions.

The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 18, without Jalen Hurts. The team ruled its starting quarterback out on Thursday, October 15, after a follow-up ultrasound showed movement in a superficial blood clot in his calf.

The Eagles set out the full medical timeline in a statement on Thursday. Hurts first asked for treatment on his calf after practice on Thursday, October 8. He told the medical staff he had been cleated during the game against the Los Angeles Rams on October 4. It was his first treatment for the injury. He had practiced in full that Wednesday and Thursday, took treatment again on Friday and practiced in full, and was added to the practice report.

Cleared in London, stopped in Philadelphia

Out of caution, doctors ran an ultrasound on Saturday, October 10, after the team flew to London and held its walkthrough. The scan found a superficial blood clot. Team doctors and doctors in London reviewed the results and decided Hurts could safely play, with activity and mobility seen as important. They recommended a follow-up ultrasound within 72 hours of the game and the return flight to Philadelphia.

Hurts played without limitation against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, October 11, and the Eagles won 19-17. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown. He took treatment on Monday and Tuesday and practiced in full on Wednesday, October 14. The team said it stayed in contact with the league office throughout.

On Wednesday night, the follow-up ultrasound showed movement in the small clot. That changed the call. The Eagles said Hurts will miss Sunday's game while the team decides the right course of treatment, adding: "His health and safety are our highest priority."

A superficial clot forms in a vein under the skin. The Cleveland Clinic description carried in the coverage says the condition brings inflammation, pain, redness and swelling, and is usually treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. The word superficial can mislead. A clot that starts to move is a clot doctors stop and reassess, and that is what Philadelphia has done.

No return date yet

The Eagles gave no timetable beyond Sunday. National reports suggest the absence could run longer than one game, but the club has set no date and named no treatment. What happens next depends on the treatment the doctors choose and on the next scans.

McKee steps in for a 2-3 team

Tanner McKee is in line to start against Carolina, with Cole Payton expected to back him up. McKee, a sixth round pick in 2023, has started twice in his career and gone 1-1. He has thrown for 597 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.

The timing is rough for Philadelphia. The Eagles are 2-3 and trying to end a three game losing streak. The offense around McKee may be thin too: running backs Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley are already out, and Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith face doubts for another week, according to Touchdown Wire. Kickoff is Sunday in Philadelphia, and the Eagles now play it with their season in the balance and their most important player watching.