Back up the Brink’s truck to Jalen Carter’s house. The young defensive tackle just got PAID. The Eagles and Carter on Tuesday agreed to a four-year contract extension that will keep Carter in Philadelphia through the 2031 season, the team announced. And it’s a massive extension. The f our-year extension is worth $152 million (up to $160 million), including $106 million in guaranteed money, Carter’s agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN first reported the terms of the deal. That average annual salary of $38 million makes Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history. Of course, Carter already had two years left under team control this season and next with a fifth-year option. Earlier this offseason, the Titans extended Jeffery Simmons on a deal that paid him over $35 million annually to reset the DT market. The previous top APY for a defensive tackle was Chris Jones at just under $32 million per season. Carter, 24, was the No. 9 overall pick out of Georgia back in the 2023 draft and just finished his third NFL season, making him eligible for a contract extension for the first time in his career. It took a little while, but the deal is finally done as the Eagles report for training camp. Earlier this offseason, the Eagles agreed to a three-year, $78 million contract with Jordan Davis and have now made sure to lock up another Georgia Bulldog for the long-term. The Eagles are clearly prioritizing the trenches as they have for decades. In his first three NFL seasons, Carter has played in 43 games with 27 starts and has been very good. Carter was runner-up for the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and has been a Pro Bowler in each of his last two seasons. Carter was a second-team All-Pro in the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl season. Carter has been very good and he’s still getting better. He has not yet reached his incredibly high ceiling. “He has to be consistent with doing the little things,” defensive line coach Clint Hurtt said this offseason. “We’ve all talked about the talent and overall potential that he has in the flash plays, but it’s the consistency of doing the small things the right way all the time. That’s a big piece for him.” While there have been some maturity concerns with Carter dating back to his time at Georgia, the Eagles have now spent three seasons with him and still elected to sign him to a massive long-term deal.  In 2025, Carter had 3 sacks, 12 QB hits and 5 TFLs in 11 games. In his career, Carter has 13.5 sacks, 37 QB hits and 25 TFLs. Carter has also learned to deal with near-constant double-teams from opposing offenses. “This is what I wanted to do,” Carter said last spring. “I wanted to be the best at what I do, try to be the best. I’m not there yet. I still got a lot of people in front of me that’s obviously been in the league a couple (more) years, got years of experience on me. But I’m just going to keep grinding every day. Not just me by myself working on specific things to get better, just being around the team having the guys support me also makes me also be one of the best in the league.” Carter’s production suffered in 2025 as he played just 11 games. Carter was ejected from the season opener without playing a single snap when he spit on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. “There’s an edge,” Hurtt said. “There’s always a fine line, the edge and the tenacity that he plays with. You want guys like that, alright. I would rather coach guys that you got to kind of pull the reins on a little bit than guys that you got to kind of kick the ass to get him going. But he has to understand when it comes to maturity, there’s a line we cannot cross if it’s hurting our team. And he’s grown through those things. He has.” He then missed a game for a foot injury. And then he had to be shut down for multiple weeks after getting injections in both shoulders to help an injury that Carter tried to play through. Carter missed three games but returned for the stretch run leading into the playoffs and gave the Eagles’ defense a boost. The Eagles know that if Carter reaches his potential, he has a nearly unlimited ceiling. “He’s a big-time player,” head coach Nick Sirianni said in December. “Just a big-time player who made big-time plays. You saw it.” This story originally appeared on NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. ...read more read less