If you ever wondered what the knock on Jalen Carter has been, dating back to his college days at Georgia, it’s never been about his talent. He has more of that than perhaps any defensive tackle in the NFL.
It’s the maturity. That’s always been the problem. He proved that again on Wednesday, when he told reporters, with a smirk, why he refused to speak with them after a third straight game on Sunday as the Eagles lost their fifth straight game, this time to the Dallas Cowboys.
The truly galling part, however, came when Carter was asked how he thinks he’s played this year.
“Not to my expectations and, I guess, not to what the fans want, but it don’t really matter what they want, so,” Carter said in a video posted by Eagles reporter E.J. Smith on Wednesday.
And there it is. It’s bad enough to have to drop hard-earned money to go see a team that’s losing like the Eagles are now, but to add in insults from one of its best and highest-paid players.
And there you have it. The maturity issues, in black and white. He’s aloof. He doesn’t care who knows it. And because the Eagles rewarded him with a 4-year, $152 million contract extension this offseason, he’s not going anywhere, anytime soon — good news for other teams who seem to routinely own Carter during games.
“He said he’s playing trash (said that in the past as well),” Philly Talk Podcast wrote on X. “Also said he’s not as good as the fans want … then said it don’t matter what they want.”
Dissing Fans: Probably Not What Eagles Want
You know what NFL teams really don’t want their players to do? Insult the fans. Especially not after a 38-21 loss to your most hated rivals.
“The end of this response from Eagles IDL Jalen Carter probably won’t go over well,” The Philly Special’s Anthony DiBona wrote on X.
“Jalen Carter had some eye-opening quotes during his media availability on Wednesday after Eagles practice,” NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote on its official X account.
Carter’s Biggest Contribution: Throwing Punches
Monday Night Football broadcasters mentioned Carter not for any plays he made—only after officials missed a pair of open-handed punches he threw at Cowboys tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford.
“He’ll probably hear from the league on that one,” MNF color commentator and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said on Monday night. “We haven’t really mentioned Jalen Carter’s name tonight unless he took a swing at somebody.”
“Jalen Carter just got away with PUNCHING SPANN-FORD TWICE,” Skip Bayless wrote on his official X account on Monday night. “How could refs miss that? Should’ve been ejected!”
“Jalen Carter seems frustrated,” NFL reporter Armando Salguero wrote on his official X account, along with the video clip of Carter’s punches.
Jalen Carter Sends Clear Message About Eagles Fans: They Don’t Matter