The Philadelphia Eagles have locked up defensive tackle Jalen Carter for the long term.
The Eagles announced the signing Tuesday.
Carter was a former first-round pick by the Eagles and has rapidly emerged as a game-wrecker along the interior of the defensive line. His 4-year, $152 million contract is tops at his position in a market rapidly turning over in the 2026 offseason.
“He disrupts the game, he’s smart, and he plays hard,” Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said of Carter, via the team’s official website. “There aren’t many like him out there and I’m glad he’s on our side.”
Carter was drafted ninth overall by the Eagles out of Georgia. He was a two-time CFP National Champion in 2021 and 2022, and was drafted to the Eagles a year after his former partner on the D-line, Jordan Davis, and linebacker Nakobe Dean; his teammates, edge rusher Nolan Smith and cornerback Kelee Ringo, also followed him to Philadelphia in the 2023 draft.
Carter appeared in 16 games as a rotational defensive tackle behind Davis and veteran Fletcher Cox. He had 33 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles, and a recovery, which he returned for a 42-yard touchdown. He was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.
He broke out onto the scene in 2024, with 42 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, six passes defended, and two forced fumbles. He won a Pro Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro nomination.
He was also a game-wrecker for the Eagles in their 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. Carter was only credited with two quarterback pressures, but frequently ate up blocks in passing situations. With Carter at DT, the Eagles racked up six sacks on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes despite never once blitzing in the entire game.
In 2025, he appeared in just 11 games due to injuries, but he still put up 33 tackles, five TFLs, three sacks, and seven passes defended. He won his second Pro Bowl selection.
The Eagles had already exercised Carter’s fifth-year option in April. According to Spotrac, the extension is four years and $152 million, with $106 million guaranteed.
It is second among true defensive tackles in terms of total value, but has the highest average annual salary at $38 million, breaking the record set by the Tennessee Titans’ Jeffery Simmons in June. Jordan Davis sits at 15th in total value and sixth in average salary with a 3-year, $78 million contract.
With contract negotiations stalled, Vea requested a trade on Monday.
Vea is in the last year of a 4-year, $71 million deal he signed in 2022. According to Spotrac, he is set to make a base salary of $17 million. He carries a cap hit of $22.2 million, but a dead cap of $6.48 million. His market value is listed at $27.8 million per year, putting him just behind Cincinnati Bengals nose tackle Dexter Lawrence’s $28 million average salary.
As part of his efforts to secure a new deal, Vea staged a hold-in during the Bucs’ summer practices. Head coach Todd Bowles seemed unfazed at the time.
“It’s not concerning,” Bowles said after mandatory minicamp practice on June 17. “We’ve been through it before. It’s part of the business.”
He declined to answer whether Vea would continue to sit out once training started, which it has.
“I could not tell you that yet, and I could not speak for him,” he said.
But Vea himself told the “Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams” this week that he is optimistic about getting a deal done with the team.
“I’m not sure, I think we’ll see what’s going on,” he said in a clip posted Monday. “I hope we’re close. My fingers are crossed, I think.”
