Jalen Hurts is set to miss the rest of the season after blood clots were discovered in his lungs, and Stephen A. Smith appeared on ESPN to offer support to the Eagles quarterback
Jalen Hurts will miss the rest of the season after blood clots were found in his lungs
Jalen Hurts will miss the rest of the season after blood clots were found in his lungs(Image: Getty Images)
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Stephen A. Smith is “praying” for Jalen Hurts after the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was ruled out for the season with concerning blood clots.
Last week, it was revealed that Hurts would miss Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, which the Eagles lost 25-14. His injury was confirmed to be a superficial blood clot in his calf, and following the initial announcement that Hurts would miss the game, he was placed on IR.
Now, Hurts is set to miss the 2026 season. He needs to undergo three months of treatment after doctors discovered multiple blood clots in Hurts' lungs, putting an end to football activities for the foreseeable future.
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Hurts is set to enjoy a full recovery, according to his agent, Nicole Lynn. Upon learning of the news, Smith paid tribute to Hurts and said he is praying for the Eagles quarterback on First Take.
“Well, it's devastating. First of all, God bless him and his loved ones, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization, we wish him nothing but the best,” Smith began. “Jalen Hurts is one of the classiest individuals you can ever encounter. He's an elite athlete who obviously prides himself on taking great care of himself and his body.
“I don't know how this has happened. You know, hopefully, you know, I pray for his good health, first of all, first and foremost. But I hope that at some point in time, once he discovers how this happened, he's open and forthcoming about it. So so many other people can be helped because, you know, however, something like this happening, it's very odd.
“I think that a lot of times when you find yourself in these kind of precarious situations, you know, certainly not encouraging people to divulge more than they want to because it's their private personal health business. But anything that you can do that you think are going to help a lot of people out there, I think, will go a long way because something like this is happening.
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Jalen Hurts reportedly played against the Jaguars in London despite not being allowed to sleep the night before due to his risk over clots
Jalen Hurts reportedly played against the Jaguars in London despite not being allowed to sleep the night before due to his risk over clots(Image: Getty Images)
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“I mean, all of us are sitting here saying, ‘How in God's name could that have happened?’ I’m just so sad for him, but I'm glad they caught it, and because they caught it now he's being monitored and the chances of returning to excellent health should be extremely high, so I pray for him and his family and hope that he's great.”
For Philadelphia, Hurts’ health is the latest bump in a turbulent 2026 season. Having started the season 2-0, the Eagles have dropped four straight, losing to the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Panthers as injuries have mounted.
Saquon Barkley has missed time, while All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson recently retired from the NFL. The Eagles also traded away starting center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens, and with Hurts out, the NFC East franchise is set to endure a long, difficult season.
“On the football side, the Eagles are done. I don't see any way that this season recovers from Jalen Hurts being gone for the year,” Smith added. “I just don't see how they can recover from that. And they've been hit by the injury bug. Devonta was out even though he was back. Saquon Barkley has been out. Now you lose your star quarterback. Your offensive line was decimated as well.
“Everything that can go wrong with an offense - health-wise - has gone wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles. I think that right now, because of something like this, you just look at it and you just say to yourself, the only thing that you can say is, ‘Thank God they caught it and that he wasn't out on that football field, while this was really happening.’
“God, Lord knows what would have happened had that transpired. And so I'm happy about that. But it's just sad news.”
The 2-4 Eagles are next in action at home against the 2-4 Dallas Cowboys in an NFC East showdown on Monday Night Football on Oct. 26.