It is a concerning time for the Philadelphia Eagles as their quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season after doctors discovered multiple blood clots in the quarterback’s lungs. The impact has moved way outside the Eagles’ camp. Now Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, too, has voiced his concerns. 

“I mean, it’s extremely scary. I mean that it comes from, I guess, a cleat or something like that. I don’t know all the details, but that’s something that happens every single week in the NFL,” shared Mahomes on the 96.5 The Fan podcast. “And for someone like that that doesn’t miss football games, that doesn’t get injured, to have something where it’s a blood clot that gets to the lungs and stuff that can be life-threatening. It kind of puts it in perspective how like much football means. 

“We love it, and we love playing football, and we love being out there every single week, and we give everything we have, but at the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have families and stuff that we want to be there for a long time. And so luckily they were able to kind of get it found out now what it actually is and he can get on the medication or whatever it is that he needs to be on and and hopefully he can get back on that field again cuz the NFL’s better when you have great players on it and he’s one of those players.”

An ultrasound conducted on Oct. 10, while the Eagles were in London, revealed a superficial blood clot in Hurts’ calf. The team’s medical staff and doctors in London subsequently cleared him to play in the following day’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, believing it was important for him to stay active and mobile.

He did perform well in that game, throwing for 220 yards and a touchdown. After flying back to the US, he underwent a follow-up ultrasound that “revealed movement in the small blood clot,” the team said in a statement. 

This came as a surprise for someone as fit as Hurts. The last time the quarterback missed games due to injuries was back in 2024, when he sustained a concussion in the first quarter of Week 16’s game vs. the Washington Commanders.

Hurts has been a model of durability since taking over as the Eagles’ full-time starter in 2021, missing no more than two games in a season. Under his leadership, Philadelphia has made five straight playoff appearances, won three NFC East titles, and reached two Super Bowls, defeating the Chiefs 40-22 in their most recent meeting in the championship game in the 2024 season.

Hurts’ present situation appears to have reminded Mahomes that even durable players who rarely miss games can experience life-threatening complications. The Chiefs quarterback has always placed Hurts on a pedestal. 

“The one thing that I’ve always respected about Jalen is that he’s a winner,” Mahomes said after Hurts led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl win by defeating Kansas City in February 2025. “Some people take that as like it’s not a good thing, but you have to find ways to win with your football team that you have around you.”

Seeing the same Hurts now sidelined, Mahomes made his feelings clear. On the other hand, the Eagles shared an update on their quarterback.

“Jalen’s prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery,” the Eagles said on Monday. “We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when he is off 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.”

The body naturally forms blood clots to control bleeding after an injury. Platelets, proteins, and blood cells collect around damaged blood vessels to help stop the bleeding, doctors explain. However, clots that develop without a proper cause or move to other parts of the body can be dangerous. That’s what the case has been for Hurts. 

Talking about how rare it is? According to Dr. Christopher Sampson, an emergency physician with MU Health Care, an average person’s likelihood of developing a blood clot is about one in 5,000.

Hurts is set to begin blood-thinner treatment, with his recovery expected to sideline him for a minimum of three months, sources informed of the diagnosis told Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter.