Man, this is a gut punch no one saw coming: Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season after doctors found blood clots in his lungs, completely derailing what was already a rocky start for Philadelphia. The Eagles are going to have to finish out the year without their star quarterback, and that’s a wild turn of events for any team, let alone one with Super Bowl aspirations.
The Diagnosis That Rocks the Season
The medical reports are serious, painting a picture that makes you wince. Hurts was initially diagnosed in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis, but after more tests, the current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. That’s heavy. The good news is he’s clinically stable, has no big functional limitations, and the prognosis is super good with a full recovery expected. He just needs to be on blood thinners, which means no contact activities like, you know, playing football. This kid, at just 28, has already been to three Pro Bowls, led the Eagles to two NFC titles, and grabbed a Super Bowl title at the end of the 2024 season. Losing that kind of leadership and talent for an entire season is brutal.
With Hurts sidelined, Philadelphia is now rolling with Tanner McKee at quarterback. McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick, made his first start this past Sunday against the Panthers. He threw for 215 yards and a touchdown, but the Eagles still took a massive 45-15 loss, dropping their record to a rough 2-4. Talk about being thrown into the fire. The Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, put out a joint statement emphasizing transparency and how Jalen will stay active around the team, conditioning and waiting until he’s off the blood thinners to eventually resume contact. We’re all rooting for him to bounce back with no long-term effects.
The Wild Story Behind the Injury
What makes this even crazier is how this all unfolded. Turns out, the blood clot was “provoked,” meaning it stemmed from Hurts getting cleated in his calf during the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Rams. That was a week before the London game. Hurts still traveled, was on the injury report for his calf, but practiced fully and had no injury designation before playing the Jaguars. Here’s the kicker: no clots were found until he was in London, and doctors actually told him not to sleep as a precaution. So, he stayed awake for roughly 36 hours before that Jaguars game, still started, and threw for 220 yards and a touchdown! Can you imagine playing a game like that with no sleep and an escalating medical condition? That’s insane grit. He reportedly went to the hospital the evening before Sunday’s game, which, looking back, makes a lot more sense now.
So, where do the Eagles go from here? With Tanner McKee taking the reins for the foreseeable future, they’ve got a massive uphill battle ahead. It’s a tough break for a team trying to find its footing at 2-4, and for a quarterback who has given so much to the game. Here’s hoping Jalen gets healthy ASAP and we see him back on the field strong when he’s cleared. This season just got a whole lot more unpredictable for Philadelphia.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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