Jalen Carter will neither be holding out nor holding in for a new contract this summer.
With Philadelphia Eagles players reporting to the Jefferson Health Training Complex for training camp on Tuesday, the team officially announced they’ve reached a new deal with their two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle.
Carter and the Eagles have reportedly agreed to a four-year, $152 million extension that could end up being worth $160 million, including $106 million guaranteed. This keeps the defensive tackle in Philly
through 2031, right alongside Jordan Davis — who signed his own three-year, $78 million extension earlier this offseason.
An annual value of $38 million makes Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history. The recently extended Jeffrey Simmons ranks below him at $35.3 million per year. $38 million also puts Carter right between the annual values of Myles Garrett at $40 million and Maxx Crosby at $35.5 million. Those are the sixth-most and seventh-most valuable edge rushers, respectively.
Carter has flashed immense potential since the Eagles traded up to select him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was incredibly instrumental to the team’s Super Bowl success in 2024, including his late-game heroics in a playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Carter’s massive workload from that season seemingly left him worse off for 2025, however, as he ultimately needed a procedure on both of his shoulders. One would imagine the Eagles are extending Carter with confidence in his medical situation moving forward.
Of course, it’s notable that this extension didn’t seem to be quite the “get way out of ahead of the market” aim that the Eagles typically strive for. Whether that was related to concern about his medical, his behavior (such as when he spit on Dak Prescott and missed the entire Week 1 game last year), or his consistency moving forward is not perfectly clear. But it’s also moot now in terms of their commitment to Carter.
Now we’ll see if he lives up to the massive investment that the Eagles are making in him.
