History of blood clots in pro athletes: How Jalen Hurts' diagnosis compares to Chris Bosh, other notable cases image
The Eagles provided the latest update on Jalen Hurts' health on Monday morning, with the team's star quarterback dealing with a blood clotting concerns.
Hurts was initially ruled out by the Eagles ahead of Week 6, diagnosed with a superficial clot in his calf. As more testing has been done on the quarterback, however, a more significant diagnosis has been provided — and after being placed on IR last week, the expectation is now that Hurts will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, per ESPN.
In a statement released by the Eagles and Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, the team said it expects Hurts to make a "full recovery" with "no long-term effects." Historically, blood clotting issues have been extremely sensitive for athletes; some have ended careers, while others have resulted in months-long absences before eventual returns.
Here's what's known about Hurts' new prognosis and examples of star athletes in the past who have dealt with blood clotting concerns, including how it impacted their respective careers.
MORE JALEN HURTS NEWS:
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What to know about Jalen Hurts' recovery timeline
Philly's ongoing timeline of sports misery
Jalen Hurts blood clot recovery timeline
Further testing has revealed that Hurts' timeline for recovery is more significant than the initial diagnosis of a superficial clot in his calf.
ESPN now reports that Hurts is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season after he was placed on IR prior to Week 6. According to a statement released on Monday, Hurts has been receiving "comprehensive medical evaluations," first being diagnosed by specialists in London with left calf superficial vein thrombosis.
However, after further testing, he has now been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emoboli; per ESPN, doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs. Hurts is "clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations," according to the release, and the recovery plan is for him to take blood thinners, but he will be unable to participate in any contact activities.
According to Hurts' team, a full recovery is expected once he is able to come off blood thinners, with "no long-term effects."
Per ESPN, Hurts' treatment for the blood clots will take "at least three months," which would put him on a timeline for a return to activities by mid-January 2027 at the earliest, a time when the regular season will be concluded.
MORE: Doctor explains Jalen Hurts' initial blood clot diagnosis
Blood clot history in NFL players
Here are a few NFL players who have dealt with blood clot concerns in the past.
Chris Olave
Chris Olave
Last season, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave missed the team's Week 18 game against the Falcons due to a blood clot in his lungs, ESPN reported.
He had no history of blood clotting issues and was expected to recover within a month; Olave wound up being able to return to the field for the Saints' offseason program and the 2026 regular season.
While the wide receiver separately dealt with concussion issues in the past, considering retirement at one point, he was able to recover from the blood clot in his lungs in a more brief period.
Christian Barmore
Prior to the 2024 season with the Patriots, defensive tackle Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots, putting him out indefinitely as the team's training camp was beginning.
Barmore was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list, and was sidelined for New England for the first two months of the regular season. On Nov. 16, he was activated and made his season debut shortly after, but on Dec. 19, he was placed back on the reserve/non-football injury list for "recurring symptoms."
"The New England Patriots are placing defensive lineman Christian Barmore on the reserve non-football illness list after he experienced some recurring symptoms that required further evaluation," the team said in a statement. "We appreciate everything Christian did to return to the team this season, but our top priority is Christian's health and wellbeing. We know that he will continue to receive tremendous care and we want to ensure that he gets the time he needs to come back stronger than ever."
Ultimately, after appearing in just four games in 2024, Barmore was able to recover for a fully healthy 2025 season, playing all 17 games for the Patriots.
Trey Smith
When now-Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith played at Tennessee in college, during his sophomore season, he was ruled out due to blood clotting issues.
Members of the Volunteeers' medical staff found blood clots in Smith's lungs and ruled him out indefinitely. Previously, Smith had dealt with a similar issue in the offseason, which was thought to have been resolved.
Smith would miss the remainder of the 2018 season for Tennessee, but was cleared to return for his junior season in 2019. He wound up playing another season in college before heading to the NFL in 2021.
Taylor Moton
More recently, Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton has dealt with blood clots.
The offensive lineman recently said that he had coughed up blood before he was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in late June, per ESPN. He dealt with the issues into training camp and the regular season.
Prior to Week 6, Moton was able to practice in pads for the first time in 2026, with the Panthers activating his 21-day practice window on the non-football injury (NFI) list. Per ESPN, Moton said he experienced symptoms after a youth football camp over the summer that would eventually lead to the discovery of multiple blood clots in his right lung.
As of Oct. 13, he had been off blood thinners for a "couple of weeks," now recovering and starting to ramp up for his return.
Blood clot history in other athletes
Here are a few other notable athletes in other sports who have faced blood clot issues.
Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh
One of the instances were an athlete was forced to retire due to blood clots was longtime NBA star Chris Bosh, who starred alongside Dwyane Wade and LeBron James for the Heat in the 2010s.
Bosh remained with Miami after James departed for Cleveland in 2014, but during the 2014-15 season, the center began to deal with blood clot concerns.
Initially, Bosh was ruled out in December 2014 with a calf strain. He missed eight games, returned to the floor and played in the All-Star game, then was ruled out in February 2015 for the remainder of the season due to a blood clot being found in his lungs.
Bosh made a return from that initial diagnosis in October 2015, and he enjoyed a strong season for a few months, averaging 19.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. But again, around February 2016, Bosh was forced to withdraw from the All-Star Game due to a calf injury that led to another diagnosis for a blood clot in his leg.
Soon after, the Heat shut down Bosh for the season, and he wouldn't play another game in the NBA. Initially, the star center showed optimism that he could return for 2016-17, but he continued to deal with blood clotting issues. He failed a physical in September 2016, and shortly after, team president Pat Riley said he believed Bosh's Heat career was over.
Bosh did not play in 2016-17, reaching an agreement with the Heat to be paid his full salary without it counting against the team's cap. The NBA ruled in June 2017 that Bosh's blood clotting was a career-ending illness, removing his contract from Miami's books, and he was subsequently let go by the team.
Bosh, again, was unwilling to rule out a return to the NBA at first, but by February 2019, he made it clear that he was no longer pursuing a comeback. His jersey was retired by the Heat, and his playing career was officially over.
MORE: Why blood clots forced Chris Bosh to retire early from NBA
Victor Wembanyama
Before superstar Spurs center Victor Wembanyama led his team to the NBA Finals last season, his 2024-25 season was ended early due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
Wembanyama had just earned his first All-Star nod in January 2025 when the Spurs announced weeks later that he was being shut down for the remainder of the season due to the blood-clotting issue. At the time, the young star center had been enjoying an elite season to follow his Rookie of the Year campaign, the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Instead, Wembanyama did not play another game in 2024-25. He was able to make a full recovery for the 2025-26 season, though, emerging as one of the NBA's best players and making a run to his first NBA Finals.
Damian Lillard
During the 2024-25 season, then-Bucks star guard Damian Lillard was ruled out indefinitely in March due to deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, a similar diagnosis to Wembanyama around two months prior.
Lillard's timeline wasn't as significant, however. He was able to return for the playoffs by mid-April, playing against the Pacers. While the injury wasn't necessarily connected to his blood clotting issue, Lillard did then tear his Achilles tendon in Game 4 against Indiana; he was unable to put weight on his foot after a non-contact injury.
While Lillard's blood clotting concern only lasted a few weeks, the Achilles tear resulted in him missing the entire 2025-26 season.
Serena Williams
In March 2011, tennis star Serena Williams confirmed that she had suffered a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism. After a serious foot laceration the year prior, with long periods of immobility and travel, Williams began experiencing shortness of breath and swelling in her leg. Doctors found multiple blood clots traveling to her lungs.
While treated with blood thinners for the lung clots, Williams developed a large hematoma (pooled blood) in her stomach area, requiring emergency surgery in February 2011.
Williams later said the incident left her "on my death bed" and that she was "lucky to be alive." Between the foot injury and the blood clotting, it sidelined her from tennis for around 10 months, eventually returning in the summer of 2011.
Later on, in September 2017, Williams gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia, via an emergency C-section. With a history of blood clots, Williams said she began experiencing shortness of breath after giving birth, and more life-threatening blood clots were found. The blood thinners used to treat the clots caused a hemorrhage at her C-section site, and her stitches burst due to severe coughing fits.
After multiple emergency surgeries, Williams spent around six weeks bedridden during her early days of motherhood, later sharing the details of her health experiences.
By December 2017, she was able to make a return to tennis again for an exhibition match.