Watch: Ex-Eagle Jon Dorenbos discusses his open-heart surgery on 'Ellen'

Former Eagle Jon Dorenbos stopped by The Ellen Show this week and discussed his recent open-heart surgery and the condition that led to it after being traded to the New Orleans Saints.

An 11-year Eagles veteran, Dorenbos was traded to the Saints over the summer, which led doctors to discover signs of an aortic aneurysm that required immediate surgery. The condition also forced Dorenbos to retire from football.

He  underwent the procedure at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. According to an Instagram post from the former football star, Dorenbos remained in the hospital for a month:

Dorenbos opened up about the ordeal to DeGeneres on Monday, saying he had an aorta "the size of a Coke can" that could have led to his death on the field.

"When my heart was pumping blood out, a lot of blood was leaking back in. It was working really hard," Dorenbos said. "[My aorta] was expanding like a water balloon … Mine was the size of a Coke can. They basically told me, 'Had you been hit in the chest on Monday Night Football, the odds were far greater that you would die than live.'"

Today, Dorenbos says he is doing well, and even recently bought a dog he named Saint. We think "Swoop" would have sounded just as good, though.

Check out the segment: