Jalen Hurts was cleared to play in London after an ultrasound showed a superficial blood clot in his calf, then later tests found the problem had moved and turned into a far more serious diagnosis. The Philadelphia Eagles said on Monday that Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season after further testing showed deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli.
That is why Eagles QB today has become a search phrase for a medical story as much as a football one. Hurts visited the Cleveland Clinic on Saturday after the Eagles arrived in London in the morning, and a league doctor arranged the evaluation. He was cleared on Sunday, returned to the team hotel at about 3am, then played the full game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, throwing for 220 yards and one touchdown while adding two carries for two yards in a 19-17 loss.
The timeline matters because the first test did not end the story. A follow-up ultrasound was recommended within 72 hours after the game, and when another scan was done on Wednesday, the clot had moved. He was ruled out of the next game after that exam, and the joint statement on Monday made clear the issue was no longer a calf concern but a blood-clot condition involving both lungs.
That sequence also explains the friction in the case. Hurts was cleared to fly home after the London game, which suggests the early finding was treated as limited enough for travel and play. But later imaging showed a deeper problem. Blood-thinning medicine is part of treatment for these clots, which is why return-to-play decisions are measured in weeks and months, not days, once the diagnosis reaches the lungs.
The broader NFL backdrop is part of the story, too. The league's international series put the diagnosis and the game in the same overseas trip, and the case has raised fresh questions about how player health is handled when there is no set protocol for situations like this. The league has procedures for concussions, emergency preparedness and extreme heat, but not for this kind of clot case.
Hurts has already led the Philadelphia Eagles to two Super Bowls and won the NFL's championship game in 2025, which is why this latest setback lands so hard. For now, the question is not whether he will miss another game. It is how long it will take before a quarterback who played through the trip to London can safely return at all.
