What to Know About the Blood Clot Sidelining Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on during the NFL match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 11, 2026 in London. —DeFodi Images—Getty Images For an NFL quarterback, a sore calf might seem like an unsurprising consequence of getting hit by a cleat.

In Jalen Hurts ’ case, an ultrasound revealed something else: a superficial blood clot.

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was struck in the calf during an Oct.

4 game and sought treatment four days later, according to a statement from the team.

An ultrasound in London revealed the clot, but doctors cleared him to play in the team’s game there the next day.

Then, a follow-up ultrasound Wednesday night revealed “movement in the small blood clot.” The Eagles announced Thursday that Hurts would miss Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers while the team determines his treatment.

What makes a clot superficial—and when does it become dangerous? We asked doctors to explain.

What’s the difference between a superficial clot and deep vein thrombosis? To understand blood clots, picture a road map.

Your deep veins run within the muscles of your arms and legs, carrying most of the blood returning from your limbs to your heart.

Superficial veins sit closer to the surface, just underneath the skin and in the tissue beneath it.

Connecting veins bridge the two systems.

“You have a really well interconnected network of veins,” says Dr.

William Shutze, a vascular surgeon at Texas Vascular Associates in Dallas and vice president of the Society for Vascular Surgery (who was not involved in Hurts’ care).

Think of it as “a very well developed road and highway system,” with multiple routes to get where you need to go.