Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season because of blood clots in his lungs, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on Monday.
The Eagles moved Hurts to injured reserve Saturday, two days after the team disclosed that he had a blood clot in his calf. He sat out Philadelphia’s loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the first of at least four games he will miss.
The team and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, gave a more detailed update Monday, saying he has deep vein thrombosis and a bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning a blood clot has moved from the legs to the lungs. His treatment includes blood thinners, and he cannot take part in football activities until he is off them.
The Eagles and Lynn said Hurts is expected to fully recover. Their statement said, “He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations.”
Philadelphia (2-4) is scheduled to host the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (3-3) on Saturday, Dec. 19, in a Week 15 meeting of NFC division champs from last season.
The Eagles said Hurts was hurt when he took a cleat to his calf area on Oct. 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. He told the medical staff about the injury after practice on Oct. 8, then returned to practice the next day before the team headed to London for its game against Jacksonville. Specialists in London initially diagnosed him with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis.
Before this setback, Hurts had not missed more than two games in a season since taking over as the full-time starter in 2021. In that span, he has helped lead Philadelphia to five straight playoff berths, three NFC East titles and two Super Bowl trips, including a 40-22 win over the Chiefs two years ago.
Tanner McKee got the start in Hurts’ place against Carolina and completed 26 of 45 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ 25-14 defeat. Philadelphia has now dropped four straight for the first time since 2020.
Hurts has thrown for 933 yards this season with eight touchdown passes and three interceptions. He is in the middle of a five-year, $255 million extension that includes $179.3 million guaranteed and runs through the 2028 season.
The Eagles selected Hurts out of Oklahoma in the second round in 2020, a move that surprised plenty of fans at the time because Carson Wentz appeared locked in as the starter and the roster had other obvious needs. Hurts eventually overtook Wentz and grew into one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.
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