The Philadelphia Eagles appear to be part of an interesting situation with their defensive tackle Jalen Carter that has not taken a turn that will hit the pocketbooks hard.
Carter got his fifth-year option picked up on his rookie contract this offseason, but the story of the summer is whether the Eagles will give him a contract extension now or next year. Reporters like Albert Breer believe the Eagles are not 100% sold on Carter because his maturity is not there.
Holding out on giving Carter a contract might end up backfiring on the Eagles, as now the bar has been set. NFL insider Mike Garafolo reported that Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons agreed to a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension with $100 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
Eagles just saw Jalen Carter's price go way up
This is quite the problem the Eagles now face. Early projections indicated the team would have to give Carter about $33 million per year. While a few million may not seem like a lot to the average fan, Philly is now facing more problems with a potential new deal with Carter.
They already have to prepare to pay him $27.1 million in 2027 as part of the fifth-year option. Now they could be looking at nearly $10 million more per year after that.
Carter is worth paying for, though, even if there are concerns about his character and durability from last season. He's been to two Pro Bowls in his first three years and is an impact player on defense and special teams, which is rare to see in a defensive tackle.
Philly already took care of Jordan Davis with the largest contract to a nose tackle in NFL history. Now the Eagles have to figure out whether to reset the market again with Carter or consider a cheaper option like Moro Ojomo. It so happens that the same agency that got Simmons his massive contract is the same one that just started representing Ojomo this offseason as well, so that could play a massive role in this.
A lot of Eagles fans don't see a problem with the situation yet, but it is getting considerably worse by the day now that other defensive tackles are collecting big paychecks. The Eagles are gambling with time, and right now, they are not on the winning end.
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If Philly doesn't get a deal done by the end of the summer, there might be a stronger potential that Carter will not be an Eagle for long as the more expensive he gets, the higher the chance that other great young players on the team will be affected by this.
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