Running back Jerome Harrison was undergoing a physical to seal a trade deal when doctors found a brain tumor. (Tom DiPace/AP Photo)

A midseason trade may have saved NFL running back Jerome Harrison’s life.

Harrison, who was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles from the Detroit Lions, was undergoing a physical to seal the deal when doctors found a brain tumor, ESPN reported.

The surprise diagnosis, the details of which are still not known, voided the trade but meant Harrison could start life-saving treatment.

The 28-year-old missed practice Thursday and will likely be out for the rest of the season. But he’s  expected to get back in the game after kicking cancer, ESPN reported.

Harrison is not the first athlete to catch a lucky break and learn he had a hidden tumor. In July, 25-year-old golfer Chris Logan was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after he was   hit in the head by a rogue golf ball at the AT&T National tournament in West Chester, Pa.  After surgery and radioactive iodine treatment, Logan’s doctors say he’s cancer-free.