Eagles bet big on Jalen Carter — and it's just the start

The Eagles just put their money where their trophy case is. Jalen Carter, the disruptive two-time Pro Bowler anchoring Philly's front, agreed to a four-year, $152 million extension that can max out at $160 million, with $106 million guaranteed. That $38 million-per-year average doesn't just beat the market, it obliterates it.

Carter, still just 25, has racked up 13.5 sacks, 37 quarterback hits and 108 tackles across his first 3 seasons — a body of work that already made him one of the most feared interior linemen in football before the ink dried. Now he's got the paycheck to match, jumping past Jeffery Simmons' $35.2 million average to sit alone at the top of the DT market.

This isn't a one-off splurge. Philly already extended fellow DT Jordan Davis earlier this offseason, meaning the interior of that defensive line is locked in through the back half of the decade. Carter's deal runs through 2031, which tells you exactly how the Eagles view their timeline — this is a core they're building around for years, not just chasing one more ring.

That last point is the real story lurking underneath the headline number. With Carter and Davis both paid, the front office's next test arrives in a year, when CBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean become extension-eligible. Both have looked like foundational pieces in the secondary, and if the Eagles want to keep this defense together, that's another set of nine-figure conversations waiting in the wings.

For now, though, this is a victory lap for a front office that's shown it'll pay to keep its own. Carter reportedly went back and forth with the team for days before camp, and according to Jordan Schultz, both sides pushed to get something done before things got messy. They got there — and Philly's defensive front just became one of the most expensive, and one of the scariest, in the league.