The Philadelphia Eagles are entering a pivotal offseason full of difficult decisions, and while the A.J. Brown situation is at the forefront, another player could emerge as a stunning trade candidate for the club.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon listed a handful of players who could surprisingly be dealt this spring, and Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s name surfaced.
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“Micah Parsons seemed to suggest on his Bleacher Report podcast that Carter might have been on the table in trade talks with Dallas last offseason,” Gagnon wrote. “He’s actually coming off a down year, but an otherwise-loaded defensive team could use his trajectory and still-low salary to command one hell of a return.”
Philadelphia exercised the fifth-year option on Carter’s rookie contract for 2027, which will result in the 24-year-old making $27.1 million that season. Unless, of course, the Eagles sign Carter to an extension.
Spotrac is projecting Carter to land a four-year, $84 million contract on his next deal, which comes out to $21 million annually. Should the Eagles extend Carter now, they would be able to reduce his cap number for 2027.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.
Or, Philadelphia can just trade him now and let another team worry about it.
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Carter played in 11 games this past season, registering 33 tackles, three sacks and seven passes defended en route to his second straight Pro Bowl appearance.
The University of Georgia product managed just a 60.1 overall grade at Pro Football Focus in 2025, which was definitely a surprise given how good Carter was in each of his first two NFL campaigns.
In spite of Carter taking a bit of a step back this past year, he remains one of the top interior defenders in football, and the Eagles would need to be bowled over with an offer to actually move him.
Of course, Philly has the much-improved Jordan Davis alongside of him, which could make Carter somewhat expendable. However, Davis is entering the final year of his deal, so the Eagles would then be risking losing both defensive tackles.
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Chances are, Philadelphia will hold on to Carter, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see Howie Roseman select a defensive tackle at some point in the NFL Draft in preparation for Carter’s potential departure.
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