Payday!

The Eagles on Tuesday agreed to terms with defensive tackle Jalen Carter on a contract extension, keeping the two-time Pro Bowler in Philadelphia through the 2031 season. According to ESPN, it’s a four-year, $152 million deal worth up to $160 million, with $106 million guaranteed. Carter becomes the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history, a distinction previously held by the Titans’ Jeffery Simmons, who agreed to a three-year $105.8 million extension earlier this month.

GETTY IMAGES: The Philadelphia Eagles have rewarded Jalen Carter with a massive contract extension.

With fellow defensive tackle Jordan Davis agreeing to terms on a three-year, $78 million extension back in March, the Eagles have their ascending interior tandem in place for years to come.

The team exercised Carter’s fifth-year option in April, and while a timetable was uncertain, the two sides reaching an agreement on an extension seemed inevitable. As Eagles players reported to training camp Tuesday, the deal proves especially timely, erasing a looming summer storyline.

Since entering the league as the ninth overall pick in 2023, Carter has been universally recognized as one of the game’s premier interior defensive linemen. Often a one-man wrecking crew, the 25-year-old has already earned multiple Pro Bowl berths and in 2024 was named a second-team All-Pro. In 43 games (27 starts), the Georgia product has accumulated 13.5 sacks, 37 quarterback hits and 25 tackles for loss. Carter’s resume also includes four forced fumbles and 13 passes defended, along with a fumble recovery for a touchdown. For the past two seasons, Carter has been the defensive centerpiece for coordinator Vic Fangio.

While Carter has demonstrated an inherent flair for affecting a game on a given snap, it’s worth noting that the splash plays weren’t as frequent last season. Injuries to both shoulders impacted his performance, perhaps most notably in the Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears, and sidelined Carter for three games late in the season. He was also scratched from the team’s Week 6 matchup with the New York Giants due to a heel injury. There was also the ejection in the 2025 season opener, where Carter was tossed before the first play for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

This spring, defensive line coach Clint Hurtt spoke about the next step for the Eagles’ star defensive tackle:

“He has to be consistent with doing the little things,” he said. “It’s like, we’ve all talked about the talent and the overall potential that he has and the flash plays. But it’s the consistency of doing the small things the right way, all the time. That’s a big piece for him. And obviously, the maturity of doing anything – there’s always a fine line. The edge and the tenacity that he plays with, you want guys like that. I would rather coach guys who you gotta pull the reins on a little bit than guys who you gotta kick them in the ass to get them going. But he has to understand, and it comes with maturity, that there’s a line that you cannot cross if it’s hurting our team. And he’s growing through those things.”

The Eagles are banking on Carter’s health and sustained impact moving forward. The flashes of dominance are evident in every game, but as Hurtt said, Carter must fine-tune the little things. The Eagles have the infrastructure in place to support his growth and progression, which only figures to trend upwards in the ensuing years.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com