For the second time in the last few months, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter is finding himself in the middle of trade rumors.
That’s not the typical offseason for an NFL superstar who is finally eligible for his 1st contract extension after winning a Super Bowl, along with earning NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in his first 3 seasons.
This time, it’s a trade rumor that caught fire on Friday as the NFL crept toward the official opening of free agency, which saw the Eagles include Carter in a proposed trade for disgruntled Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
“Hearing that the Eagles have made Jalen Carter available in their pursuit for Raiders (edge rusher) Maxx Crosby,” NFL reporter Rickey Scoops wrote on his official X account. “You ready to let the dogs out?”
“The Eagles have floated the idea of including Jalen Carter in a Maxx Crosby trade,’ ” Polymarket Sports wrote on its official X account. “That would be insane.”
“Raiders GM John Spytek has talked about being cautious whenever Howie calls,” The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen wrote on X. “Them being willing to part with Carter should be raising alarm bells.”
Did Eagles Try to Trade Carter for Micah Parsons?
Carter’s name coming up in trade rumors could very well be the most clear-cut “Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire” type of rumor anyone could come up with.
It was common knowledge that the Eagles tried to obtain former Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons in a trade before the 2025 season.
It was a deal that almost happened until Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stepped in and decided he couldn’t stomach Parsons going to an NFC East Division rival.
To hear Parsons tell it, the deal didn’t go down for a different reason. He said the Eagles were willing to give up Carter in exchange for him, but he didn’t want to play for the Eagles if he couldn’t play with Carter.
Parsons was eventually traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for 2 first round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers signed Parsons to the largest contract for a defensive player in NFL history — 4 years for $186 million with $136 million in guaranteed money.
“There was one person that I had to play with that if he was gone I did not want to be there — and that was Jalen Carter,” Parsons said on Saturday in a Bleacher Report podcast conversation with Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
Eagles May Have Grown Sick of Coddling Carter
The Eagles have had to use kid gloves to deal with Carter since they drafted him at No. 9 overall in the 2023 NFL draft — a draft in which Carter was projected as the No. 1 overall pick but dropped after a car accident in which 1 of his Georgia teammates and a Georgia staffer were killed while allegedly racing with Carter’s vehicle.
Since then, while Carter has proven unstoppable at times, there have also been constant issues with him staying in shape and putting forth maximum effort.
In one of the more infamous in-game moments in NFL history, Carter spit on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the opening snap of the 2025 regular-season opener and was ejected from the game before playing a single down.
Wild Trade Rumor Swaps Eagles All-Pro for Raiders Edge Rusher Maxx Crosby