Why The Eagles Were Right To Hold Onto Jalen Carter, Even At The Expense of Landing Myles Garrett

One of the worst kept secrets in the NFL was the Philadelphia Eagles' desire for Myles Garrett.

For years the Eagles would call in on his availability in case the Cleveland Browns ever decided to trade him. Garrett did ask for a trade in 2025, but ended up signing a massive contract extension to stay in Cleveland.

The pursuit wasn't over. Not with the Browns in a rebuild.

Garrett was a luxury with the Browns, a franchise he admired and respected. He could have spent his whole career in Cleveland, but that wasn't fair to him as the Browns were tearing down their roster in order to compete in the AFC North a few years down the road.

If the Eagles could get Garrett, they were certainly going to try.

The Los Angeles Rams ended up being the team that landed Garrett, parting ways with the premium player the Eagles were reluctant to part with. The Eagles offered either Nolan Smith or Jalyx Hunt, but neither compared to Jared Verse -- who the Rams were reluctant to part ways with in order to get a deal done.

The Rams knew they had to trade Verse in order to net Garrett. The Eagles had a premium player llike Verse that was initially discussed in trade conversations, but they balked.

That player? Jalen Carter.

Having Carter as the centerpiece in a Garrett trade was too rich for the Eagles' blood. The Eagles were reluctant to part ways with a premium player that is critical for their future, even if they could have landed Garrett -- a player they coveted.

Why the Eagles were right to hold onto Carter

While it's hard to trade a premium player for a future Hall of Famer, the goal is to pair the future Hall of Famer with the premium player in order to make a Super Bowl run. Imagine Myles Garrett and Jalen Carter together? That's what the Eagles probably envisioned.

Carter has been in the league for just three years and hasn't received his contract extension yet, but he's a significant piece towards the Eagles future. Carter was arguably the best player on the field in the NFC Divisional Round victory over the Rams two years ago, and one of the best defensive tackles in the league when healthy.

The Eagles have seen how Carter is a game changer when healthy. Carter is also just 25 years old and has already made two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team in his three years.

Hard to part ways with that resume.

Carter is also part of an impressive young group of players that will anchor the Eagles defense for years to come. The Eagles hit on Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jordan Davis in the draft over the last four years -- along with Carter.

Carter would have been the premium player that would have enticed the Browns, or just the player that forced the Rams to part ways with Verse. Either way, the Eagles weren't moving on.

The Browns wanted a pass rusher

The Browns moved on from Garrett, but wanted a pass rusher in return for the future Hall of Famer. They wanted a defensive end, which also is a reason why Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith were offered in a potential trade.

Would the Browns have wanted Carter? Absolutely, but getting a defensive tackle wasn't the end game. They wanted a defensiev end, and were able to land a premium player in Verse.

In just two seasons, Verse has proven he can get to the quarterback consistently. Verse isn't even close to entering his prime, a huge reason why the Browns were considered winners in the Garrett deal.

At the end of the day, the Eagles didn't have the defensive end the Browns wanted. Getting Jonathan Greenard also played a role in the Eagles' plans to get Garrett, even though Garrett was still available.

The Eagles will press on with Carter, who is a vital part of their future.

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