There was immediate concern that the Philadelphia Eagles' staff mishandled quarterback Jalen Hurts' recent medical scare, but as more information is revealed, it's even worse than anyone could have imagined, and should have several losing their jobs after putting Hurts at serious risk.
News first broke last week that Hurts would miss the Eagles' game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday with a superficial blood clot in his calf that had apparently gotten worse since he played through it the previous game. Now, it's become obvious that Hurts shouldn't have even played the week before, when the Eagles played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, or even made the trip at all.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that Hurts will likely miss the rest of the season after multiple blood clots were found in Hurts' lungs. This isn't just a medical issue that can keep Hurts off the football field, but it is extremely dangerous and can even be life-threatening.
A statement about Hurts' status confirmed he has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, which means a blood clot traveled from his legs to his lungs. The initial diagnosis happened while the Eagles were in London.
Hurts will undergo treatment involving blood thinners. That treatment will last about three months, which means it will likely end during the NFL Playoffs. At this point in the season, it doesn't look like the Eagles are a playoff team, but even if they are, the franchise should be overly cautious with Hurts' health, especially after already letting matters get worse.
"Jalen's prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery," the statement said. "We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when off the blood thinners. In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue to condition. More importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects."
— Nicole Lynn (@AgentNicoleLynn) October 19, 2026
Jalen Hurts will miss rest of season, but that should have been least of the Eagles' concerns
Hurts is thankfully OK, but there's no doubt the Eagles put his health at further risk just so he could play against the Jaguars. This all started when Hurts was cleated in the calf during the Eagles' game against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 4.
After practicing on the following Wednesday and Thursday, Hurts went to the medical staff for treatment on Thursday after practice, which was four days after the injury. He received treatment and practiced again on Friday, then left for London the next day.
The Eagles' medical staff then performed an ultrasound, which revealed the blood clot, on Saturday after getting to London. That's when the Eagles really started to make head-scratching dangerous decisions.
Rapoport just revealed that Hurts was at a London hospital until 4 a.m. Sunday morning, the same day the Eagles played the Jaguars. He was not allowed to sleep during that time "because he was told that sleeping posed health risks associated with the clot." Hurts couldn't sleep, but apparently he could still play football.
Through all that, the Eagles' statement last week said, “Medical staff and doctors in London reviewed the results and concluded that activity and mobility were important and that Jalen could safely play.” That statement was made before we even knew about Hurts' night in the hospital.
Yet, dealing with a blood clot and running on no sleep for 36 hours, the Eagles still started Hurts, and he “played without limitation" that Sunday. Fans would have no idea, though, as Hurts completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in the loss. It was obscure, though, that he had a season-low two rushing attempts.
I'm no doctor, so I'm sure there's an argument that this outcome couldn't have been prevented, but it definitely seems like the Eagles' medical staff helped push things along rather than prevent.
Sure, there's respect earned for Hurts still going out there on no sleep and battling a serious injury, but a commitment to football can also cross a line and become stupidity. A player's job is to play, though, and it's the medical staff's job to determine when he shouldn't. The Eagles' medical staff failed Hurts, and there was a lot more at risk than Hurts just missing most his seventh NFL season.
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