Big health news out of Philadelphia has thrown the Eagles' season into turmoil. After initially playing through a superficial blood clot last week, QB Jalen Hurts now faces a potential multi-week, or even multi-month, absence due to progression of the clot. Here is my breakdown of the timeline, the diagnosis, and what this means for his immediate future.
Jalen Hurts Superficial Blood Clot Timeline
Timeline based on Eagles’ press release:
October 8: Calf pain noted.
October 10: Superficial blood clot discovered on ultrasound. No blood thinners indicated or given at this time.
October 11: Played in game with no issue.
October 14: Ultrasound revealed “movement” in the clot. Ruled out for the next game on October 18.
What is Hurts’ medical diagnosis?
The medical diagnosis for Hurts’ is a superficial vein thrombosis (SVT). Thrombosis means blood clot.
The image below displays the network of superficial veins that return blood back to the heart in a similar way to river tributaries merging together to return water to the ocean.
Hurts has a clot in one of the superficial veins on the anterior or posterior aspect of his leg. The common femoral vein you see in the image is considered a deep vein. I’ll explain why that is important later.
How common are these blood clots?
The incidence of superficial blood clots is likely much higher than we know. That’s because the symptoms are often just mild leg pains, or even a total lack of symptoms. Not everyone who has leg pain will (or should) get an ultrasound to check for clots. The vast majority of clots likely dissolve on their own without anybody ever being the wiser.
What evaluation is going on right now with Jalen Hurts?
In addition to regular ultrasounds to check on the clot, Hurts will have a full workup to check for underlying medical issues that put a person in a hypercoagulable state (increase in likelihood of forming blood clots). This will include cancer screening and blood work to check for clotting disorders. If any underlying cause is found, that will complicate matters.
What is the concern with a superficial blood clot?
The main concern is if the superficial clot expands to become a deep venous clot - medically termed a DVT (deep venous thrombosis). A DVT that stays put is not a life-threatening issue. However, if the clot breaks off and travels into the blood vessels of the lung (pulmonary embolism), it can cause catastrophic lung failure.
Hurts’ superficial clot has presumably expanded, causing the doctors to become more concerned for a DVT.
What is the treatment for a superficial blood clot?
Not all patients with a superficial clot need to be treated. If the clot is deemed to be low risk of turning into a DVT or pulmonary embolism, then a patient can be monitored with ultrasounds. This was the medical situation for Hurts when he was cleared to play in an NFL game. Level of risk is determined by multiple factors including location and size of clot.
If the risk of the clot becoming a DVT is determined to be intermediate or high, then anticoagulant medications (blood thinners) are generally given. There is an option to ligate (tie off) veins for patients who cannot be anticoagulated.
Duration of treatment with anticoagulants will depend on level of risk and typically ranges from 45 days to over 3 months.
What does the short-term future look like for Jalen Hurts?
When it comes to potentially life-threatening issues, doctors are going to err on the side of safety - even if the risk is very low. Because Hurts’ clot has progressed, there is a good chance he will be started on anticoagulant medications at this point and will be out of football for weeks to months. It’s not advisable to play contact sports while on anticoagulants.
What other NFL players have had blood clots?
Notable NFL players with blood clots include Trey Smith, Chris Olave, David Andrews, Christian Barmore, Russell Okung, and Taylor Moton.
The Detroit Lions EDGE DJ Wonnum is also on that list, having developed blood clots from PICC line treatment for a serious MRSA infection in 2024. He was on anticoagulant medication for months.
For the full explanation of what happened to DJ Wonnum, visit my story from when he signed with the Lions back in March…
DJ Wonnum quad injury complications: Analysis & medical review
The Detroit Lions finally added an EDGE in free agency by way of DJ Wonnum. His medical history is remarkable for overcoming an infection in his quad that led to severe complications. Not all football maladies are purely orthopedic, and Wonnum is a good example of that.