Diagnosis, treatment and current condition
Jalen Hurts will not return this season after medical exams revealed deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, the team announced following additional imaging. Four days after an initial finding of a superficial clot, doctors determined the clot had migrated and required more extensive treatment.
Hurts is currently stable on blood thinners and has been advised not to play contact football while undergoing treatment. The Eagles and Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, have offered reassurance about his long-term outlook as he begins that course of care.
The diagnosis came after Hurts was cleared to travel and play in London on Oct. 11; he played every offensive snap in Philadelphia's 19-17 loss to Jacksonville, appearing in all 62 snaps. That sequence — an initial diagnosis, travel and full participation, followed by further imaging that showed emboli — prompted widespread questions from the media and raised concerns about how the situation was handled.
League review, team response and fallout
The NFL reviewed the process around Hurts' participation in the London game and decided the organization will not face punishment for its medical decisions, saying the Eagles' handling of his clearance to play was appropriate and that league officials remained in contact with the team's medical staff throughout the episode.
NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills pushed back on critics at a league level, calling much of the backlash "considerable and uninformed speculation" and defending the review's finding that no violations occurred. That determination followed a tense team news conference and mounting questions about Hurts' travel after the initial clot was discovered.
Head coach Nick Sirianni repeatedly deferred to medical personnel when asked to explain the decision-making, saying plainly, "I'm not a medical expert," and directing follow-up questions to the team's doctors.
The broader response included a tense press conference and mounting questions about Hurts' flight home, and his future with the team beyond this season has been described as up in the air.
Implications for the organization and Hurts' recovery
The immediate implication is medical: Hurts will be treated with anticoagulant therapy and must avoid contact football during that treatment. Beyond that, league officials have closed a formal disciplinary track by determining the Eagles did not violate NFL protocols in clearing him to play.
Public scrutiny of the episode centered on the choice to allow travel and full participation after an initial superficial clot was identified, and on communication surrounding Hurts' condition. The NFL's review and Sills' remarks aim to close the inquiry from a regulatory perspective, but questions remain in the public discourse about how the sequence of events unfolded.
For Hurts, the focus now is medical stability and recovery. The team and his agent emphasized optimism about his long-term outlook even as he begins treatment. Any decisions about his future beyond this season were described in some reports as unsettled, and such conversations can be deferred while his recovery continues.
As the Eagles navigate the next weeks, the organization will proceed under the parameters set by Hurts' medical care and the league's assessment. The immediate priority inside the program, publicly at least, is Hurts' health and ensuring he receives appropriate treatment while the club and league move past the controversy surrounding the London game clearance.
