Jalen Hurts Has Blood Clots in His Lungs

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QUARTERBACK Jalen Hurts is out for the rest of the 2026-27 NFL season. Originally, the Super Bowl MVP was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in the left calf. However, an official statement issued today announced multiple blood clots in his lungs.

While the 28-year-old is “clinically stable” and with a “very good” prognosis, he is not allowed to participate in any contact sports—including football. Hurts is currently undergoing treatment with blood thinners. But what does it all mean to have a blood clot—and can it happen to anyone? We asked the experts to break it down for us.

What Is a Blood Clot?

BLOOD CLOTS, ALSO known as coagulation, are a natural healing process we’ve all experienced. When you cut yourself, blood clots—platelets, proteins, and cells stuck together—over the injury to keep you from bleeding excessively. Once the injury heals, your body naturally dissolves the clot.

Where Can a Blood Clot Form?

A BLOOD CLOT can form anywhere in your body.

Sometimes, blood clots form in your blood vessels or arteries without an injury, and they don’t naturally break down. Blockage of blood vessels and restrictive blood flow can cause a life-threatening condition called thrombosis.

“Thrombosis is responsible for about one in four deaths worldwide,” says Erich De Paula, MD, PhD, vice dean and associate professor of hematology at the University of Campinas School of Medicine in Brazil.

How a Blood Clot Feels in Different Parts of the Body

A BLOOD CLOT in your arm and the leg veins is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). There are also different types that can appear in your lungs and brain. Each type has its own set of symptoms.

Blood Clot in Your Lungs

WHEN BLOOD CLOTS in your legs break off and travel to your lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism (PE). A PE is “the worst-case scenario” when you have a DVT, says Bibhu Mohanty, MD, cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of South Florida. DVT and pulmonary embolism affect about 900,000 Americans every year.

Publication : Men's Health

Author : Erica Sweeney