The Jalen Carter Extension Question: $17.3M Market Value, But Is It Time to Pay?

Jalen Carter is officially extension-eligible this offseason, and the number floating around — $17.3 million per year in estimated market value — should make every Eagles fan's ears perk up. That's a bargain for a player of Carter's ceiling. The question isn't whether Carter deserves an extension. It's whether the Eagles should pull the trigger now or wait another year given his injury-affected 2025 season.

The answer, frankly, is to pay him. And pay him now.

The Case for Extending Carter Immediately

Start with the obvious: defensive tackle contracts are only going up. Every year you wait, the price increases. If Carter plays at even 80 percent of his 2024 form in 2026, you're looking at a number significantly higher than $17.3 million per year when his rookie deal expires. The Eagles have a window to lock in a generational interior defender at a relative discount. Howie Roseman has made a career out of getting ahead of the market. This is the quintessential get-ahead-of-the-market opportunity.

Carter's 2024 season — before the injury — was legitimately dominant. He was the best interior defensive lineman in football not named Aaron Donald. He lived in opposing backfields, collapsed pockets with ease, and played an absurd number of snaps because the Eagles couldn't afford to take him off the field. The guy the Eagles drafted ninth overall showed up as advertised.

The Injury Factor

The 2025 season muddied the waters. Carter dealt with a nagging injury that clearly limited his explosiveness and overall impact. The player on tape last year was not the same player from 2024. It was noticeable, and anyone who says otherwise wasn't watching closely enough.

But here's the thing: injuries are part of football, and the Eagles' medical staff is the entity best positioned to evaluate whether Carter's issue is a long-term concern or a temporary setback. If the doctors say he's healthy — truly healthy — then the injury-affected season shouldn't change the calculus at all. The Cam Jurgens extension last year followed similar logic. People questioned extending him coming off a difficult stretch, and it's already looking like a smart move.

The Pipeline Problem

Here's what makes the Carter extension even more urgent: the Eagles' extension pipeline is about to get crowded. After the 2026 season, both Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean become extension-eligible. Those two are going to command significant money — Mitchell as a potential All-Pro corner and DeJean as one of the league's most versatile defensive backs.

If the Eagles wait on Carter and he balls out in 2026, they're negotiating his deal at the same time they're staring down Mitchell and DeJean extensions. That's a cap nightmare. Getting Carter done now, at a number that reflects some injury discount, gives the front office breathing room to handle Mitchell and DeJean when the time comes.

What About the Nolan Smith Variable?

Carter's extension has downstream implications for the rest of the defensive line. Nolan Smith, the 2023 first-round pick, has been... fine. He showed flashes at the end of the Super Bowl season that had everyone excited, but he hasn't taken the leap that a top-30 pick should by year three. Meanwhile, Jalyx Hunt — a later pick — has arguably shown more upside.

If the Eagles extend Carter and re-sign Jaelan Phillips, the edge rotation gets expensive in a hurry. At some point, a decision between Smith and Hunt is coming. Smith has the pedigree and the draft capital, but Hunt might have the higher ceiling. Trading Smith while his value is still reasonable — a former first-rounder with plus athleticism — could net meaningful draft capital and clear the path for Hunt's development.

That's a 2027 problem, but it's one that Carter's extension helps set up. Getting the interior locked down now gives the Eagles clarity on how to allocate resources at the edge positions going forward.

The Bottom Line

At $17.3 million per year, Jalen Carter is a steal. Even adding a premium to account for his injury concerns, anything under $20 million annually for an interior defender of his caliber is a win. The Eagles should extend him this offseason, before the price goes up, before the extension pipeline gets clogged, and before another dominant season makes the number look like a rounding error.

Trust the medical staff. Trust the talent. Pay the man.