The Rams’ offseason math just got a lot trickier.
With Kobie Turner already looming as one of the biggest contract decisions in Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Eagles gave the defensive tackle market a jolt on Tuesday by agreeing to a four-year, $152 million extension with Jalen Carter. The deal includes $106 million guaranteed and pushes Carter to the top of the position, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history at an average of $38 million per year.
For the Rams, that number doesn’t automatically mean Turner is headed for the same payday. But it absolutely changes the conversation.
Turner and Carter both entered the league in 2023, though they arrived on very different draft paths. Carter went in the first round.
Turner landed with the Rams in the third. Production-wise, Turner has been right there - maybe even ahead in some eyes - but the league hasn’t treated the two players the same.
Carter is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and earned Second-team All-Pro honors in 2024. Turner has made the PFWA All-Rookie Team, but he has not been named to a Pro Bowl.
That gap in recognition matters when the negotiations start.
Spotrac currently pegs Turner’s market value at four years and $129.75 million, which works out to $32.4 million annually. Earlier this offseason, the Tennessee Titans gave Jeffrey Simmons a deal worth $35.28 million per year, and Carter’s extension now raises the bar even higher. It wouldn’t be a shock if Turner’s next contract moved closer to Simmons’ range.
Still, there’s a real difference between what Turner has done and how the league talks about him. He’s been productive enough to stack up with players like Carter and Simmons, but he hasn’t collected the same hardware or buzz.
That can shape how teams approach a negotiation, especially for a player who has spent his career flying a little under the radar. This past offseason, Turner wasn’t even among the top-13 defensive linemen in ESPN’s poll of NFL coaches and executives; he was only listed among those receiving votes.
If Turner lands near his market value, he’d become the third-highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL. But that’s where the Rams’ broader roster picture comes into play.
Los Angeles may also need to sort out deals for Puka Nacua, Warren McClendon, Kevin Dotson, and possibly Steve Avila. That means the issue isn’t just whether the Rams want to pay Turner.
It’s whether they can fit him in at that level at all.
So while Carter’s extension belongs to Philadelphia, the ripple effect reaches Los Angeles. For Turner and the Rams, it only makes an already complicated situation more expensive.
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