The Philadelphia Eagles just made defensive tackle Jalen Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history via a 4-year, $152 million contract extension.
Even with all of that, they still don’t trust Carter to take care of his body in the offseason — something he’s shown little willingness to do over his 1st 3 seasons.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the Eagles have included a clause in Carter’s contract that pays him an extra $250,000 per year — a total of $1 million — if he keeps his weight down.
Carter’s weight concerns date back to his college days at the University of Georgia, where he weighed 314 pounds at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine but was 9 pounds heavier at Georgia’s Pro Day less than 1 month later.
“After signing defensive tackle Jalen Carter to a record-setting deal, Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman said he has no off-field concerns about the player,” Florio wrote on July 30. “Based on the contract details, the team has at least one … while $250,000 represents a relatively small piece of Carter’s financial puzzle, the issue was significant enough for the Eagles to bargain for a specific incentive for Carter to keep his weight under a specific maximum. The term is an unusual one. Over the years, we’ve broken down many veteran contracts. Not many include a weight bonus.”
Jalen Carter’s Weight Relates to Performance
One of the more incredible things about Carter’s contract is that he landed that money on the strength of 1 great season in his 1st 3 years along with 2 pretty average ones.
Carter’s rookie year in 2023 was — politely — a learning experience for both player and team as he showed up out of shape and questions about his work ethic dogged him all season as the Eagles fell apart down the stretch.
In 2024, Carter was beyond reproach. He showed up in shape and dominated from the start of the season through the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
In 2025, Carter showed up out of shape again and frankly looked sloppy — both in appearance and in play. He also started off the season by getting ejected in the 1st game before the ball was even snapped after he spat on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Things didn’t get much better from there as the Eagles looked disjointed on both sides of the ball for the majority of the year and ended their season with a home loss to the MASH unit San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Eagles Turned Down Jalen Carter Trades Last 2 Years
The Eagles turned down blockbuster trade offers for Carter each of the last 2 years.
In 2025, the Eagles reportedly had a trade package that would’ve brought Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons to Philadelphia in exchange for Carter. Parsons ultimately balked at the trade because playing with Carter was the “only reason” Parsons wanted to come to the Eagles.
In 2026, the Eagles reportedly had a trade package that would’ve brought Cleveland Browns edge rusher and 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Eagles but, once again, weren’t willing to include Carter in the deal, and it fell apart.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Eagles Put ‘Unusual’ $ 1 Million Clause in Jalen Carter’s Contract appeared first on HEAVY.