Did the Eagles Miss the Boat on Jalen Carter?
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has historically gotten ahead of the market when signing his foundational players to contract extensions. Yet Eagles All-Pro defensive lineman Jalen Carter has yet to sign a new deal this offseason. Carter didn’t attend Philadelphia’s OTAs and was a limited participant during mandatory minicamp, as many speculated that Carter is holding in.
The 25-year-old is viewed by many as a core player in the City of Brotherly Love. In that case, Roseman would’ve normally signed Carter to a massive contract extension by now. Yet that hasn’t been the story this time as both sides appear to be at a stalemate as Carter has agent Drew Rosenhaus in his corner.
Roseman has usually signed Philadelphia’s core players to top of the market deals prior to the fourth season of their rookie contracts. It allows the Eagles to reward players early, while also getting the added benefit of not falling behind the market. Here’s a look at when each of Philadelphia’s core players have signed contract extensions in recent years:
Jalen Hurts: Signed a five-year contract extension in March prior to his fourth season
DeVonta Smith: Signed a three-year contract extension in April prior to his fourth season
Landon Dickerson: Signed a four-year contract extension in March prior to his fourth season
Cam Jurgens: Signed a four-year contract extension in April prior to his fourth season
A.J. Brown: Signed a four-year contract extension in April prior to his fourth season
There are three exceptions to that recent trend:
Jordan Mailata: Signed a four-year contract extension in September prior to his fourth season
Josh Sweat: Signed a three-year contract extension in September prior to his fourth season
Jordan Davis: Signed a three-year contract extension in March after his fourth season
There’s an important distinction to make in all of those scenarios. The five deals that were worked out in March or April prior to the player’s fourth season were all top of the market deals that were among the highest at their respective positions. The two deals that were done in September weren’t top of the market deals. Davis’ deal was signed after his fourth season and the Eagles were essentially forced to pay more after a breakout performance in 2025.
Now the Eagles are uncharacteristically letting things linger with Carter. Although the team’s skepticism could make sense given Carter’s decline in production since his rookie season, his shoulder injury and the spitting situation with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott last season. While Carter and Rosenhaus may be looking to reset the defensive lineman market, they don’t have much of a case right now.
Especially after the Tennessee Titans signed defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons to a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension with included $100 million in total guarantees on Friday. Now the Eagles and Roseman are put in a tough situation after the market has been reset, which normally isn’t the case with how Philadelphia operates in these discussions.
Yet it’ll be hard for Carter and Rosenhaus to make an argument that they deserve the same amount of money (or more) than Simmons just received. While Carter is three years younger than Simmons, his stats have declined in recent years. Here’s a look at Carter’s stats since arriving in the NFL in 2023:
Games played (including playoffs): 49
Total tackles: 122
Tackles for loss: 28
Sacks: 16.5
Forced fumbles: 5
Passes defended: 16
Now here’s a look at Simmons’ stats over the last three seasons in Tennessee:
Games played (including playoffs): 43
Total tackles: 187
Tackles for loss: 38
Sacks: 21.5
Forced fumbles: 6
Passes defended: 8
As you can see, despite playing six less games, Simmons’ stats are markedly better than Carter’s stats in all but just one category. It’s also worth noting that Simmons is coming off a career-high 11-sack season in 2025. Meanwhile, Carter is coming off a career-low three-sack season in 2025. Despite the age difference, both players appear to be trending in different directions.
Therefore, it’s easy to see how Roseman and the Eagles may be hesitant to sign Carter to a top of the market deal. Now things were only made more difficult following Simmons’ deal with the Titans. While I believe that the Eagles will eventually get something done with Carter, it likely would’ve been easier to do so before the market was reset. Now we’re in wait and see mode ahead of training camp next month.