Much has happened to the Eagles over the last 72 hours. They lost for the fourth-straight time for the first time in head coach Nick Sirianni’s tenure on Sunday. And then at 10:10 a.m. on Monday, it was revealed they will be without franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts for the rest of what has been a failing season, after what was originally diagnosed by the Eagles as a “superficial” blood clot in Hurts’ left calf spread to his lungs, a danger area that could cause a pulmonary embolism, which is a sudden,
life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a blood clot travels through the bloodstream and blocks an artery in the lungs.
It was interesting that Hurts’ agent Nicole Lynn and the Eagles released a joint statement—not just from the Eagles—about the blood clot situation on Monday under the headline: “Statement on the health status of QB Jalen Hurts from the Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts’ agent Nicole Lynn:
“Over the last few days, Jalen Hurts has received comprehensive medical evaluations by physician experts. In the interest of transparency, we are providing additional information on the diagnosis and treatment plan related to his condition.
“Jalen was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis. After further testing and monitoring, the current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli. He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations. His treatment should only involve anticoagulation [I.E. “blood thinners”]. During this time, he will not be allowed to participate in any contact activities, including football.
“Jalen’s prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery. We anticipate that we will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when off the 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.
“We are thinking of Jalen and looking forward to a strong recovery.”
On Saturday, ESPN first reported the Eagles would NOT place Hurts on injured reserve, then changed it to the Eagles putting Hurts on IR, which would have forced Hurts to automatically miss the next four games. That changed once again on Monday, when Hurts and his personal team, in conjunction with the Eagles, ruled him out for the season.
There was an interesting line in the ESPN corrected report on Saturday, October 17, that stated Hurts would be on IR, saying: “Philadelphia believes the blood clot is treatable, and the ultimate decision about when Hurts returns to play will come from his medical team, with the Eagles ready to follow his lead.”
The glaring part of that was “when Hurts returns to play will come from his medical team,” suggesting that Hurts went outside the Eagles medical staff to get another opinion—from his medical team. But in today’s NFL, many players often seek second and third medical opinions using their own people—and leaving the playing decision up to them.
Where does this leave Hurts in the Eagles’ future?
One thing is for certain, some close to Hurts were not happy with how the Eagles dealt with the blood clot situation. They also felt Hurts should have been treated far better by the team this offseason by offering another contract extension.
The Eagles never budged.
With the perception of how the Eagles dealt with Hurts’ situation, coupled with the looming contract extension, it may not help the relationship.
“The Eagles run a first-class operation and we’re talking about an NFL player who I’m sure was not flying commercial,” said Dr. David Chao, the former Head Team Physician for the San Diego Chargers. “I’m sure Jalen Hurts, a starting NFL quarterback, was not squeezed in the middle seat between two people on a plane. I would assume the Eagles made the proper precautions like every other NFL medical staff would for team flights. It is completely normal for players to get second and third opinions.
“But it is an unbelievably dangerous situation if left untreated. The fact that it got to his lungs is a big, red warning light. It’s the reason why he is not playing anymore this season. I can understand why his family and friends would be upset, but if they knew flying was not great, so, too, did the Eagles’ medical staff. They would never have [knowingly] put a player in danger like that.”
The 28-year-old Hurts has a five-year, $255 million contract that runs through 2028. This is the caveat in the deal: His guaranteed salary falls from $51.5 million this season to $22 million next year, to zero in 2028.
Hurts came under offseason scrutiny that some around him found unfair, though Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie came out with glowing things to say about Hurts on March 31, at the NFL Annual League Meetings in Arizona, saying: “I mean, there’s no bigger fan of Jalen than me. Clutch gene, absolutely. The guy, MVP of the Super Bowl 13 months ago, should have been MVP of the Super Bowl right before that against, yeah, Kansas City the first time, exceptional and so dedicated. I mean, I think you probably know, I spent a lot of time with Jalen, and he’s, as I do with most quarterbacks, and incredibly dedicated to the game, to winning, and being a huge winner, and I love everything about him. So anyway, those things take time. We never would discuss it. He’s in the middle of a new contract now.”
Now, Hurts is laid up with a serious issue that may push back or may push forward how long he remains a Philadelphia Eagle.
In six years as a starter, Hurts has a 59-28 record, he’s led the Eagles to five-straight playoff berths, which will obviously end this season, three NFC East titles, two Super Bowls, one Super Bowl championship and has a 6-4 postseason record.
No Eagles quarterback comes close to that winning resume.
When he walked off the field in London with 8 seconds left after leading the Eagles to a 17-16 lead against Jacksonville, it might’ve been the last Philadelphia saw of the most winning quarterback in franchise history.
