Philadelphia Eagles overpaid Jalen Carter & will regret it

The Eagles did not pay Jalen Carter for what he has done so far in the NFL. They paid him for the version of him they hope shows up every Sunday for the next six years. That is a dangerous difference. Philadelphia gave Carter a four-year, $152 million extension with $106 million guaranteed and a possible maximum value of $160 million.

>The $38 million annual average makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history, and the contract keeps him under team control through 2031. Carter is 25. He has made two Pro Bowls. At his best, he collapses the middle of an offense so quickly that quarterbacks drift before the pocket breaks.

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Not a deal the Eagles had to make right nowJul 29, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) greets fans as he takes the field for training camp at Jefferson Health Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesThey had already exercised Carter’s fifth-year option for 2027. He was coming off a season in which shoulder problems limited him to 11 games, and he finished with three sacks. Across three seasons, Carter has 13.5 sacks in 43 games.

>Those are strong numbers. They are not automatic blank-check numbers. The contract did more than reset the defensive-tackle market. Carter’s $38 million average jumped well beyond Chris Jones’ $31.75 million average, even though Jones had already built a Hall of Fame-caliber résumé when Kansas City paid him.

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That gap is where the regret is born and will liveDec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) reacts to winning a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn ImagesPhiladelphia is betting on projection, health and maturity all at once. Maybe it works. Howie Roseman has earned the benefit of the doubt, and Carter’s ceiling is terrifying.

>Still, elite defenses are rarely built by paying everyone at market peak. They survive because the expensive stars create enough value to cover the cheaper players around them. Carter now has to be dominant, durable, and consistent. Merely being disruptive is no longer enough.

>The Eagles bought certainty two years before they needed it. What they actually purchased was risk – at the highest price the position has ever seen.

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