Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Out Indefinitely With Lung Clots; NFLPA Seeks Probe of How Case Was Handled

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, blood clots in both lungs, and is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season, according to the NFL. He is being treated with blood thinners. Before the Eagles' Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, a superficial clot was found in his calf after a team walk-through. He played, then flew back to the United States, where further testing produced the diagnosis. He was placed on injured reserve and missed the loss to the Panthers. According to reports, he had barely slept before the London game after staying in the hospital until 4am. The NFL concluded the process that led to him playing was handled appropriately, but the NFL Players Association has called for a full investigation. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, speaking in Paris ahead of Pittsburgh's game against the New Orleans Saints, criticized the NFL's Chief Medical Officer. Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, who had lung clots in high school, urged Hurts to stay positive at a Friday press conference.

Right-leaning outlets split in focus. The Daily Mail leads with Rodgers and frames the story as a renewed feud between him and the NFL's top medical staff. It adds the cleat-to-the-calf injury against the Rams, the report about the hospital stay, fan dismay and the NFLPA's call. Fox News turns to medicine: its headline is about blood-thinner mistakes, and it features Dr. Marc Siegel, Dr. Joseph Lombardi and Dr. Yazan Abou-Ismail on risk factors and precautions, not on the Eagles' decisions. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while alternative and right-leaning outlets had. The one alternative source, CBS Sports, overlaps with the Daily Mail on team scrutiny but adds the NFL's finding and Walker's comments.