Jeffery Simmons is staying in Nashville, and the price tag attached to that decision just changed the math for every defensive tackle contract conversation happening across the league this summer.
The Tennessee Titans and Simmons agreed Friday to a three-year extension worth $105.8 million with $100 million fully guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history at $35.2 million annually. The previous record belonged to Kansas City’s Chris Jones at $31.75 million per year.
“Tennessee has become a second home for me,” Simmons said in a statement released by the team. “From day one, this organization believed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to pour into this franchise and community. I want to thank God, my family, my teammates, Ms. Amy and the entire Titans organization for believing in me. My job isn’t finished.”
Eagles Exercise Fifth-Year Options on DT Jalen Carter, EDGE Nolan Smith
(Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
The deal keeps the 2019 first-round pick in Tennessee through the 2030 season. He is coming off a First-Team All-Pro 2025 campaign in which he recorded 67 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three pass defenses and three forced fumbles in 15 games.
Prior to Jeffery Simmons’ three-year, $105.8 million contract extension, the highest APY for an IDL was $31.7 million (Chris Jones).
Now Simmons has completely reset the IDL market with an APY of $35.2 million.
My guess is that Jalen Carter and his agent Drew Rosenhaus will… pic.twitter.com/pq13KwrifI
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) June 19, 2026
What this means for Jalen Carter and the Eagles’ contract conversation
The timing of Simmons’ deal lands directly in the middle of Philadelphia’s own defensive tackle decision. Jalen Carter, the No. 9 overall pick in 2023, is extension-eligible and represented by Drew Rosenhaus, and Carter is not yet as accomplished statistically as Simmons, posting 13.5 sacks across three seasons compared to Simmons’ larger body of work. But Carter is younger and is widely viewed around the league as carrying significant long-term upside.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman has historically preferred to get ahead of the market rather than wait for it to reset around him, which makes the Simmons number a complication rather than a convenience. Carter did not participate in team drills this spring, and whether that becomes a formal hold-in once training camp opens remains an open question.
Philadelphia has precedent for letting a similar situation play out. Jordan Davis played through the final year of his rookie deal in 2025 before getting his extension this year, with the Eagles wanting to see more before committing financially.
Carter has more standing in Philadelphia’s plans than Davis did at the same point, given how central he is to the Eagles’ defensive identity.
Will that translate into Carter clearing $35.2 million per year? Or will the Eagles hold their ground into the season? The negotiation training camp will define this.