Jalen Carter Signs Four-Year, $152 Million Extension With Eagles, Becomes NFL’s Highest-Paid Defensive Tackle
The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t letting their best defensive lineman anywhere near the open market. The team signed defensive tackle Jalen Carter to a four-year, $152 million contract extension on Tuesday, a deal that can max out at $160 million and includes $106 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The $38 million-per-year average makes Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
The Eagles announced the deal Tuesday, and Carter’s agents, Drew and Jason Rosenhaus, confirmed the terms to NBC Sports Philadelphia. Carter is now under contract in Philadelphia through the 2031 season.
Carter Leapfrogs Simmons for the Top of the Market
This wasn’t a slow climb. It was a leap. Carter’s $38 million annual average blows past Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons, who signed a three-year, $105.8 million deal just last month. It also clears Kansas City’s Chris Jones, previously the position’s second-highest earner at $31.75 million per year, according to Fox News.
| Player | Team | Contract | AAV | Guaranteed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Carter | Eagles | 4 years, $152M (up to $160M) | $38.0M | $106M |
| Jeffery Simmons | Titans | 3 years, $105.8M | $35.2M | Undisclosed |
| Chris Jones | Chiefs | Multi-year | $31.75M | Undisclosed |
Two names. One position. A tackle-market bidding war that Philadelphia just won outright.
A No-Brainer After Three Seasons of Wrecking Backfields
Carter fell to ninth overall in the 2023 draft after character questions trailed him out of Georgia — multiple coaches on his college staff reportedly declined to vouch for him during the pre-draft process, per ESPN. Philadelphia traded up one spot to take him anyway, betting that a defensive line room stocked with veterans and former Georgia teammates, including fellow tackle Jordan Davis, could keep him on track.
Three years later, that bet looks obvious. Carter has racked up 13.5 sacks, 108 tackles and 37 quarterback hits in his career, earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods, and helped anchor the defense that carried Philadelphia to a Super Bowl LIX title. When he’s locked in, blockers don’t move him. He moves them.
Eagles signing DT Jalen Carter to four-year, $152 million extension, including $106 million guaranteed, that makes him the highest-paid DT in NFL history. (via @AdamSchefter) pic.twitter.com/ibtfp7QsGG
— NFL (@NFL) July 28, 2026
The extension also closes the book on an offseason full of trade speculation surrounding Carter’s name — chatter that never came with official confirmation from the team and can now be put to rest.
Not a Clean Résumé, But the Eagles Bet on the Player Anyway
Philadelphia’s decision to pay Carter this heavily comes less than a year removed from an ugly moment. Carter was ejected six seconds into the Eagles’ 2025 season opener against Dallas for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott — the fastest ejection in an NFL game since 2005, according to CBS Sports. The NFL fined him a game check and treated the one-game suspension as already served since he hadn’t played a snap. Carter apologized afterward, saying it “won’t happen again.”
None of that slowed Howie Roseman down. The Eagles’ general manager had already exercised Carter’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason and extended Davis on a three-year, $78 million deal. Locking up Carter now pushes Philadelphia’s investment in that interior D-line pairing past $230 million combined — an aggressive bet on a defensive front the front office clearly believes is the foundation of the roster for the next half-decade.
According to Pro Football Network, citing Spotrac, Carter’s cap hit for the 2026 season lands at just $6.9 million, giving Philadelphia breathing room before the extension’s bigger numbers arrive in future years.
What It Means Going Forward
The timing matters. Training camp practices open Wednesday, and this extension wipes out any lingering contract drama before players report. Philadelphia now has its two starting interior defensive tackles signed for the long haul, giving the coaching staff certainty up front heading into 2026 while Roseman turns his attention to next offseason’s extension decisions — cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and safety Cooper DeJean are both extension-eligible next year after First Team All-Pro seasons.
For Carter, it’s the outcome that seemed unthinkable to some programs back in 2023. For the Eagles, it’s a statement: the defensive front that won them a championship isn’t getting broken up anytime soon.