Report: Eagles’ Jalen Carter is projected to get ridiculous money next year

The Eagles don’t pay for potential. They pay for dominance. And through two years, Jalen Carter has shown enough of it to break the market, and maybe even Chris Jones’ wallet along the way.

Let’s call it what it is: Carter is about to get paid. According to The Athletic, Howie Roseman’s offseason salary-cap gymnastics weren’t just for show. The Eagles GM wasn’t tightening the belt — he was clearing runway for a blockbuster deal with his 23-year-old wrecking ball up front.

Eagles Could Make Carter the Highest-Paid DT Ever

Yes, you read that right. If Carter’s third season even remotely builds on the first two, he’s got a real shot at topping Chris Jones’ $31.75M annual salary. And the Eagles aren’t waiting around to see what other teams do. Owner Jeffrey Lurie reportedly wants to set the market, not chase it.

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That’s huge. It’s also very on brand. This is the same front office that locked down Jordan Mailata before the breakout, paid DeVonta Smith early, and gave Jalen Hurts a deal that looked massive — until it didn’t. That’s the Eagles’ philosophy: Pay smart, pay early, and don’t let your stars hit the open market.

What Carter’s Earned So Far

Let’s not pretend this is some speculative leap of faith either. Carter earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods in year two. He jumped from playing 51% of defensive snaps as a rookie to 84% in his sophomore season. He finished with:

• 42 tackles
• 12 tackles for loss
• 16 QB hits
• 4.5 sacks
• A handful of soul-snatching highlights

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Oh, and during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, Carter added two more sacks and seven QB hits, just in case anyone forgot he’s a game-wrecker on the biggest stage.

The Eagles are staring down the barrel of a massive extension for Jalen Carter, and they should be smiling while they do it. Dominant interior linemen don’t grow on trees, and the second Carter slid to them at No. 9 in the 2023 draft, this outcome became inevitable. He’s a cornerstone. A disruptor. And soon, he’ll be a very, very rich man.

Howie’s next move? Lock him in and dare the rest of the league to catch up.