The Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is anticipated to miss the remainder of the NFL season due to serious health complications involving blood clots in his lungs. A source with knowledge of the situation disclosed this information, speaking to the media on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of health matters.
Hurts was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, shortly after the Eagles announced that he had developed a blood clot in his calf. As a result, he missed at least one game, contributing to the Eagles' loss against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. This situation escalated as further medical evaluations revealed that Hurts is suffering from deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, wherein a clot has traveled from the calf to the lungs.
Treatment for Hurts will require the use of blood thinners, which will prohibit him from engaging in any football activities until he is cleared from this medication. Both the Eagles organization and Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, provided assurances regarding his recovery, stating that he is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations at this time.
In a previous statement, the Eagles mentioned that Hurts sustained the injury on October 4 during a game against the Los Angeles Rams when he took a cleat to his calf area. He informed the medical staff of his injury following practice on October 8. Even after this incident, Hurts resumed practice the following day before the team departed for London to face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Specialists diagnosed him in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis.
This marks a significant moment for Hurts, who has not missed more than two games in a season since he became the full-time starter for the Eagles in 2021. Under his leadership, the Eagles made five consecutive playoff appearances, clinched three NFC East titles, and secured two Super Bowl spots, winning the championship against the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 two years ago.
In Hurts' absence, Tanner McKee was the starting quarterback against the Panthers. McKee's performance included completing 26 of 45 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown in Philadelphia's 25-14 defeat, marking the Eagles' fourth consecutive loss, something they hadn't experienced since the 2020 season.
This season, Hurts recorded eight touchdown passes and three interceptions with a total of 933 yards passing. He is currently in the middle of a lucrative five-year contract extension worth $255 million, with $179.3 million guaranteed, which secures his role with the Eagles through the 2028 season.
The Eagles' decision to draft Hurts from Oklahoma in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft came as a surprise to many fans, considering that Carson Wentz was the presumed franchise quarterback at that time, and the team had more pressing needs to address. However, Hurts quickly rose through the ranks, ultimately surpassing Wentz to become one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
