July 28, 2026
Gregory Fisher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Eagles just ensured that Jalen Carter will be other offenses' problem through 2031.
Jalen Carter's contract extension began the Eagles' first week of training camp on a high note.
The star defensive tackle is signing on for a four-year, $152 million deal (with $106 million guaranteed), which will keep Carter in the Philadelphia trenches through 2031 – as ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported.
The extension also makes Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history, at an average of about $38 million. And if the two-time Pro Bowler keeps trending upward as expected, where offensive linemen are routinely left with little other choice but to hold him, he'll be well worth the cost, especially since the deal will carry the 25-year-old through his prime.
Here's how Carter's extension compares to the next nine highest-paid defensive tackles in the league by average annual value, which includes Eagles teammate Jordan Davis, whose $26,000,00 per year ranks out at sixth:
| Rk) Player, Team | AAV | Guaranteed | Total Value |
| 1) Jalen Carter, PHI | $38,000,000 | $106,000,000 | $152,000,000 |
| 2) Jeffery Simmons, TEN | $35,276,000 | $100,000,000 | $105,828,000 |
| 3) Chris Jones, KC | $31,750,000 | $95,000,000 | $158,750,000 |
| 4) Dexter Lawrence, CIN | $28,000,000 | $10,000,000 | $28,000,000 |
| 5) Milton Williams, NE | $26,000,000 | $63,000,000 | $104,000,000 |
| 6) Jordan Davis, PHI | $26,000,000 | $64,438,000 | $78,000,000 |
| 7) Zach Allen, DEN | $25,500,000 | $69,500,000 | $102,000,000 |
| 8) Nnamdi Madubuike, BAL | $24,500,000 | $75,500,000 | $98,000,000 |
| 9) Alim McNeill, DET | $24,250,000 | $55,060,667 | $97,000,000 |
| 10) Quinnen Williams, DAL | $24,000,000 | $66,000,000 | $96,000,000 |
*Salary info via Over The Cap
And here's how Carter now ranks among the highest-paid defensive players at each position, also by average annual value, with the Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. leading the way at $50,000,000 thanks to the three-year extension he signed with Houston back in April:
| Rk) Player, Team | Pos | AAV | Guaranteed | Total Value |
| 1) Will Anderson Jr., HOU | DE | $50,000,000 | $134,063,749 | $150,000,000 |
| 2) Jalen Carter, PHI | DT | $38,000,000 | $106,000,000 | $152,000,000 |
| 3) Trent McDuffie, LAR | CB | $31,000,000 | $100,000,000 | $124,000,000 |
| 4) Derwin James, LAC | S | $25,200,000 | $54,500,000 | $75,600,000 |
| 5) Nick Herbig, PIT | LB | $25,000,000 | $42,000,000 | $100,000,000 |
*Salary info via Over The Cap
General manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles already succeeded in getting Carter, who is a core defensive piece, signed on for the long haul.
But if everything goes according to plan, Carter could quickly end up as one of the best bargains in the NFL, on top of being easily one of the best defensive players in the entire league.
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