Eagles, DT Jalen Carter Agree To Deal

The next few months will feature teams finalizing their rosters and preventing any complications with rookie contracts. The Eagles became this year’s first team to sign a first-round pick. Jalen Carter agreed to terms with the Eagles on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The 2011 CBA made rookie-deal negotiating far less complicated, introducing a slot system that carried over to the 2020 bargaining agreement. First-rounders’ contracts can still produce hiccups, but they generally involve minor issues. Less than a week after drafting Carter, the Eagles navigated those and agreed on the defensive tackle’s slot deal. The No. 9 overall pick will be tied to a four-year contract worth $21.8MM, Schefter adds. The Eagles begin their rookie minicamp Friday.

This represents a $400K bump from the No. 9 slot last year, Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross, who is tied to a four-year deal worth $21.4MM. Carter’s contract will be fully guaranteed and come with the customary fifth-year option that has existed in first-rounders’ contracts since the rookie scale came to be 11 years ago. The option could tie Carter to the Eagles through 2027.

Carter began another run on Eagles defenders from Georgia. After they used first- and third-round picks on ex-Bulldogs defenders (Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean) last year, the defending NFC champions drafted Carter, edge rusher Nolan Smith and cornerback Kelee Ringo last week. Carter represents the highest-profile player the Eagles drafted over the past two years, for on- and off-field reasons.

Philly obtained the Carter pick through a one-spot trade-up with Chicago, after initially landing in the top 10 via an April 2022 trade with New Orleans. While the Saints used that draft real estate to climb up for Chris Olave last year, the Eagles became the rare Super Bowl participant to pick in the top 10 the following year. In Carter, the Eagles have a clear Javon Hargrave replacement. Although the Eagles re-signed Fletcher Cox on another one-year deal, a Carter-Davis D-tackle duo seems likely to be the Birds’ long-term setup in the middle.

Carter fell to No. 9 because of myriad factors. The two-time national champion did not fare well at his pro day and received shaky reviews from some Georgia staffers. This came after he was at the scene of a fatal car accident in January, one that involved Carter in a separate vehicle as two Georgia program members — offensive lineman Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy — were killed in a crash. Carter was arrested on two misdemeanor charges — reckless driving and racing — in February, causing him to leave the Combine, but later reached a plea agreement that prevented any jail time. Carter said the Eagles did not ask him too many questions about the incident, though this collection of issues likely led to a few teams passing on him.

The Seahawks, Lions, Raiders, Falcons and Bears joined the Eagles in hosting Carter on pre-draft visits. Seattle (Devon Witherspoon) and Las Vegas (Tyree Wilson) chose other defenders over Carter, while Atlanta took Bijan Robinson and both Detroit and Chicago traded down. Multiple teams took Carter off their draft board, and the Seahawks were believed to be split on drafting the higher-risk talent. Carter was viewed as a lock top-five pick coming into the Combine. He will undoubtedly aim to prove the teams who passed on him made a mistake.