Jalen Carter
Getty
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Hurts.
The Philadelphia Eagles have known for some time they’re going to have to pay NFL All-Pro defensive tackle and Super Bowl champion Jalen Carter big money — it just so happens this offseason could be when the bill finally becomes due.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox predicts Carter could (sort of) reset the market with his 1st contract extension via a 4-year, $108 million deal which would make him the 2nd highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL behind Kansas City Chiefs star and 3-time Super Bowl champion Chris Jones.
Jones signed a 5-year, $158.75 million contract in March 2024 which pays him approximately $31.75 million per year.
Carter is finally eligible to receive an extension after completing his 3rd season.
“In three seasons, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has established himself as one of the game’s most disruptive defenders,” Knox wrote. “The two-time Pro Bowler hasn’t even turned 25 yet, either. Expect the Eagles to lock up Carter early. General manager Howie Roseman has a long history of negotiating early extensions, and Carter figures to be a centerpiece player in the mold of Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and Cam Jurgens.”
Carter’s Stock Plummeted Before 2023 NFL Draft
Carter, 6-foot-3 and 314 pounds, cemented his status as one of the greatest defensive tackles in college football history during 3 seasons at the University of Georgia from 2020 to 2022. It was a stretch in which the Bulldogs went 29-1 over his final 2 seasons and won consecutive College Football Playoff national championships in 2021 and 2022.
Projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Carter’s draft stock plummeted after he was charged with reckless driving and street racing following an accident in which a Georgia staffer and one of his teammates died while racing Carter at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.
Because of the accident, Carter dropped to the Eagles at the No. 9 overall pick, where he signed a 4-year, $21.8 million contract.
The No. 1 overall pick, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, signed a 4-year, $37.95 million contract.
More Controversy Following Super Bowl Win
After an up-and-down rookie year in 2023 in which his work ethic was questioned at different times, Carter seemed to put it all together in 2024 as he earned NFL All-Pro honors for the 1st time and led the Eagles to the 2nd Super Bowl win in franchise history.
Now, with hindsight being 20/20, we can say Carter’s actions in the 1st game of the season and before the 1st play of the year that seemed to set the tone for the season — 1 that would end with an embarrassing home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
In the NFL’s regular season debut on September 4 — a Thursday night game between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys — Carter spit on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott following the opening kickoff and before either team had even run a play.
Carter was ejected from the game and fined an entire game check — $57,222 — for his actions.
“Not only is it freaking disgusting, not only do you show what a low-level human you are in that moment, but you let the entire team down,” ESPN analyst and former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark said the day after the game. “If you’re (Eagles head coach) Nick Sirianni, you have to make an example out of (Carter) … it’s not about football, it’s about humanity. It’s about personal respect.”