Super Bowl quarterback Ken Anderson sits down to discuss his heart, modern QBs and his Super Bowl ring from working with the Steelers
In this candid interview, Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor quarterback and 1981 NFL MVP Ken Anderson sits down to discuss critical topics spanning life after football, personal health advocacy, and the dramatic physical evolution of the game. Anderson shares his personal journey with cardiovascular wellness—explaining how cutting-edge AI diagnostic tools from HeartFlow revealed hidden risks and empowered him to take control of his health. He also reflects on the stark physical transformation of the NFL from his playing era to the modern game, the economic necessity of quarterback protection, and his unique perspective on one of football’s fiercest rivalries: the Cincinnati Bengals versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is a comeback story of the highest order because Taylor Moton’s life was at risk, blood was splattered all over his chest, and doctors frantically rushed to keep him from dying from a life-threatening emergency.
Moton is a Carolina Panthers offensive lineman.
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Except, he hasn’t been an offensive lineman since the offseason because he was exclusively a patient trying to overcome the condition that caused, as he put it, “a multitude of clots in my right lung.”
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Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Taylor Moton (72) stands on the sidelines during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Nov. 24, 2025. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
People die from runaway blood clots.
I had a friend die from blood clots in 2022. Miami Dolphins senior vice president Jason Jenkins died from a bilateral pulmonary thromboembolism due to phlebothrombosis. He was in his office at the team’s training facility when it happened.
Jenkins had complained of the pain clots in his legs caused him for months before that. He talked about how he had to be careful when he flew because that could impact his condition.
So when Moton was placed on the non-football injury list in July it caught my attention because there had been reports about it being tied to clots since June. And that was extremely worrisome.
But this column isn’t all about sadness and concern. Or death.
Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton (72) during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2025. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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That’s because Moton is back on the Panthers practice field this week. And he was in the locker room on Tuesday talking about his victory over a life-threatening condition.
“I was just hanging out about to take a nap, lay down, and all of sudden it started to feel like my chest was really congested,” Moton told a group of reporters gathered at his locker. “I thought it was just normal chest congestion. But I started to taste blood in my mouth and then I knew something was up.”
One can only imagine what a world-class athlete who hadn’t yet reached his 32nd birthday thinks when confronted with a serious medical emergency. These guys train to feel invincible.
But Moton immediately realized he wasn’t invincible. He was in deep trouble.
“I started coughing up blood — and it was like a lot of it,” Moton said. “And I could start feeling it leaking through my chest even — something like really different. So, after 15-or-something minutes, I was like ‘Yeah, I’ve got to go to the hospital.’
“Went to the hospital, they were doing CT scans, ultrasounds, trying to find what was going on. And that’s when they found a multitude of clots in my right lung.”
Stunning.
Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers looks to pass during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 4, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (Getty Images)
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Moton said doctors to this day have not figured out what caused the frightening episode.
“They put me on blood thinners, and other than that I was just working,” he said. “I just couldn’t have contact on the blood thinners because having contact on blood thinners can lead to like a brain bleed.”
Moton has been trying to stay in shape but it clearly isn’t football shape. So he has 21 days to try to reach that kind of physical conditioning before a decision on his season’s availability has to be made. The Panthers, dealing with injuries on their offensive line, need him as soon as possible.
The man they’re getting back has a different outlook than the one who last played a game in the 2025 season.
“When you see the blood, you start thinking the worst,” Moton said. “But thank God I’m still on this side of Earth, right? Like past football, man, it makes you count your blessings to be here. Still get to see my family. It’s a blessing.”
And this: “Honestly,” Moton added, “it gave me more gratitude for life in general.”
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