Jalen Carter’s new contract has put another bright, expensive spotlight on Georgia’s 2021 defense.
The Philadelphia Eagles announced they are extending Carter on a four-year, $152 million deal, a contract that makes him the highest paid defensive lineman in the history of the sport. It comes only months after Philadelphia also locked up former Bulldog Jordan Davis on a three-year, $78 million deal, which had made Davis the highest paid defensive lineman in history at the time.
That kind of money is only possible because of what Georgia put on the field in 2021. Carter and Davis were both part of a defensive roster that has taken on a legendary feel, and the numbers back it up. Georgia held opponents to 10.2 points per game that season and kept opposing offenses out of the end zone on multiple occasions.
The defining moment, though, was the national championship game. Georgia held Alabama to 18 points on the way to its first national title in 41 years, a result that helped lock that defense into all-time territory.
The NFL draft only added to the myth. In 2022, Georgia produced five first-round picks on the defensive side of the ball alone, a historic haul that did not even account for later selections like Carter.
What makes Carter’s deal stand out even more is that he was not even a full-time starter in 2021. He rotated with players such as Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis, yet still finished that season with 37 total tackles and three sacks. His 2022 season was described as arguably more impactful, with similar production despite missing a handful of games because of injury.
The Bulldogs’ 2021 defensive class has kept showing up in the NFL, too. Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker each received substantial contracts with the Raiders this offseason, Devonte Wyatt got an extension with the Packers, and multiple players from that group have already played in and won a Super Bowl.
Carter is not the only reason Georgia’s 2021 defense gets mentioned among the greatest ever. But his record-setting contract is another loud reminder of just how loaded that unit really was.
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