For the 2nd year in a row, Philadelphia Eagles superstar defensive tackle Jalen Carter finds his name in the middle of a blockbuster NFL trade.
For the 2nd year in a row, Carter is staying put.
According to multiple reports, the Eagles were in the mix to trade with the Cleveland Browns for edge rusher and 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, but balked at including Carter as part of the trade.
Garrett was eventually sent to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for 2-time Pro edge rusher Jared Verse and the Rams’ 2027 1st round pick, 2028 2nd round pick, and a conditional 2029 3rd round pick.
“Multiple reports have indicated that the Browns wanted defensive tackle Jalen Carter from the Eagles, but that the Eagles weren’t interested in that,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote.
Instead, the Eagles offered a pair of young, talented edge rushers in former 1st round pick Nolan Smith Jr., and Jalyx Hunt — neither of whom the Rams wanted.
For Carter, who could very well be in line for 1 of the biggest contracts in NFL history, this whole thing must seem like a case of deja vu.
Cowboys Reportedly Wanted Jalen Carter in 2025
The biggest trade of the 2025 season also involved an elite edge rusher when the Dallas Cowboys sent NFL All-Pro Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a pair of 1st round draft picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Carter.
According to Parsons, Carter was initially part of that trade package.
Parsons eventually disclosed the Cowboys were willing to trade him to the Eagles before the season, but he pulled the plug on the deal when he realized the Eagles were going to have to give up Carter to get him.
“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 in a Bleacher Report podcast conversation with former Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
Jalen Carter Could Reset Market With Next Contract
Carter, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, signed a 4-year, $21.8 milliion contract after he was drafted, and the Eagles picked up the $27.1 million 5th-year option on his contract in April — a move that would bring his career earnings to approximately $49 million.
There is a good chance Carter could become the highest-paid interior defensive lineman in NFL history with his next contract, exceeding the 5-year, $158.75 million contract Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones signed in March 2024, which pays him approximately $31.75 million per year.
The biggest holdup to any possible deal for Carter might likely be the Eagles’ concerns about his behavior over the years.
Projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Carter’s draft stock plummeted after he was charged with reckless driving and street racing following an accident in which a Georgia staffer and one of his teammates died while racing Carter at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.
After an up-and-down rookie year in 2023 in which his work ethic was questioned at different times, Carter seemed to put it all together in 2024 as he earned NFL All-Pro honors for the 1st time and led the Eagles to the 2nd Super Bowl win in franchise history.
Then, in the NFL’s 2025 regular-season opener, Carter spat in the face of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott following the opening kickoff and was ejected before either team had even run a play.
Eagles Refused to Trade Controversial $49 Million Star for Myles Garrett