The Eagles just made their biggest defensive bet yet, and the ripple effect could reach all the way to Cooper DeJean.
Philadelphia locked up Jalen Carter on a four-year, $152 million extension that can climb to $160 million, a deal that blew past the old benchmark for defensive tackles and made him the highest-paid DT in NFL history. For a team that already handed Jordan Davis a major multi-year contract one year ago, it’s another massive commitment to the front of the defense.
That’s great news for the Eagles’ present. The long view is where things get tricky.
DeJean is part of the same young core that has made Philadelphia so dangerous, alongside Carter and Quinyon Mitchell. He’s already shown he can handle multiple roles in the secondary and even slide to safety when needed. Last season, both DeJean and Mitchell were First Team All-Pro selections, a huge payoff from the Eagles’ 2024 NFL Draft class.
But keeping that whole group together is another matter entirely. Carter and Davis now sit among the NFL’s top five defensive tackles by average annual value, and Mitchell is the kind of player the Eagles will have to prioritize even if it costs top-of-the-market money. That leaves less room to maneuver, and DeJean is not the type to give the team a discount just because he’s homegrown.
The money picture gets even tighter when you zoom out. Philadelphia is also staring at a pricey offense, with the long-term cost of keeping its celebrated offensive line intact likely to be steep.
Jalen Hurts has done enough to put himself in line for another long-term deal, and that negotiation figures to be a monster. He’s likely to bring his Super Bowl ring to the table when that time comes.
The Eagles have been one of the league’s best teams at restocking through the draft, but even that kind of talent pipeline has limits. Another big season from Mitchell could push Philadelphia toward an extension after the Carter deal, and that may leave DeJean as the odd man out financially.
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Now the Leonard situation is clouded by uncertainty, with Toronto reportedly backing away from completing the trade amid concerns tied to the contract investigation. For Philadelphia, the timing matters because it avoided committing to a deal that could have brought a whole lot of risk with it. Instead, the Sixers have a cleaner path forward, and for once the safest choice may also be the one that ages best. [Read more 🡒]