Why Things Are More Complicated For Eagles' Howie Roseman On Jalen Carter Front

The Tennessee Titans set the market at defensive tackle when they agreed to a three-year, $105.8 million extension with Jeffery Simmons.

Dec 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) celebrates the safety against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – With the Eagles weighing whether to lock up star defensive tackle Jalen Carter with a massive second contract this offseason, the market for elite interior linemen was raised on Friday.

The Tennessee Titans agreed to a three-year, $105.8 million extension with Jeffery Simmons, making the three-time All-Pro the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history with an average annual value of $35.3 million per year.

The deal reset the top of the DT market well above Chris Jones' previous high-water mark of $31.75 million annually and complicates things further for the Eagles and Carter, the former Georgia standout who has emerged as one of the league's most disruptive young interior forces but is coming off a down season due to persistent shoulder pain that forced Carter to try Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. 

Carter, selected ninth overall in the 2023 draft, is now in the fourth year of his rookie deal, and the Eagles exercised his fifth-year option worth $27.127 million for the 2027 season so there is room to play with.

The Eagles have a strong history of identifying core players early and being proactive with extensions, however, and the presumption has been that Carter would be at the top of the organization’s long list of young defenders that will need to be addressed over the next few years.

Overall, Carter has posted strong production through three seasons and key contributions to the team's Super Bowl LIX run, earning two Pro Bowl selections along the way. He's considered to be the most gifted defender on a unit with multiple All-Pro-level players.

After the 2024 campaign, it seemed like a no-brainer that Carter would be the one resetting the DT market when eligible for an extension. 

Complications

Eagles GM Howie Roseman | John McMullen/Eagles on SI

Yet the Eagles have moved cautiously on an early extension, with team sources citing desires for more evaluation on health, maturity, and consistency.

In the midst of all of that, Simmons' monster deal changes the calculus moving forward. 

At 25, Carter is younger than Simmons (who turns 29 this summer) and possesses elite burst, strength (when healthy), and pass-rush upside that many evaluators believe could make him a game-wrecker.

His camp, led by high-profile agent Drew Rosenhaus, now has a fresh data point to lean on in negotiations with the Simmons contract.

Of course, if Eagles GM Howie Roseman wants to play hardball, Carter is not nearly as accomplished as either Simmons or Jones to date. In fact, Carter’s place in that conversation remains heavy on projection.

Committing to Carter now could mean a deal at least approaching Simmons' AAV, even if Roseman can avoid another reset at the top of the market.

Waiting another year with Carter under team control through 2027 while allowing more film to accumulate risks paying a significant tax if Carter returns to his 2024 form.

That trade-off might seem simple but Roseman understands what’s coming on defense, where a young and gifted unit has turned into one of the NFL’s best over the past two seasons.

Big money has already been doled out for All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, and star nose tackle Jordan Davis.

Eligible for extensions right now are Carter and fellow DT Moro Ojomo, as well as edge defender Nolan Smith.

Extensions for massive money are expected for All-Pro cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean when they can be extended after the 2026 campaign, and ascending edge rusher Jalyx Hunt could also factor into that equation.

If the Eagles got it right with linebacker Jihaad Campbell and safety Drew Mukuba, they will be looking for bigger money after the 2027 campaign.

The sheer volume of that level of talent means the Eagles will need to make some difficult decisions. It could be either/or with Smith and Hunt, while the conventional wisdom is that Ojomo will walk after his rookie deal expires after this season, similar to what went on with Milton Williams after the 2024 campaign.

Carter simply isn’t Jones or Simmons ... yet. However, the talent is obviously there, so perhaps the prudent path for both sides is to wait, much like the Eagles did with Davis, who took the baton of challenge and earned a monster deal after delivering in 2025.

Often, the answers will reveal themselves on the field with two scenarios in play: Carter performs and takes his place at the top of the DT market, or the team shifts to the more cost-effective Ojomo while saving the really big money for Mitchell and DeJean.

The curveball there is how Carter handles things behind the scenes. His mandatory minicamp presence without performing in team drills smacked of a hold-in while waiting for an extension and that could bleed over to the start of training camp this summer.

Meanwhile, the biggest tool at Rosenhaus’ disposal is the trade request. There have been enough whispers of the Eagles being willing to entertain moving Carter for other high-level defenders who were moved recently, like Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett, that his second deal in Philadelphia is not exactly a fait accompli.

It’s certainly a complicated landscape for Roseman.