Examining Carter's historic contract extension
Mike Florio details the latest with Jalen Carter's new contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles that makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
Video Transcript
We begin with some fairly significant news.
Two items of significant news.
One, Jalen Carter and the Eagles have agreed to terms on a four-year extension.
Preliminary numbers, four years, $152 million.
We'll see, as we always do, the real details, but that's 38 million per year, new money average.
The total deal, six years, 182, 30.3 million per year from signing.
Again, we'll see the full details.
We'll see And here's what we always look at.
What's the signing bonus?
And sometimes you're able to see, based upon the quality of the information you get, the details that are provided, you will see the cash flow of the signing bonus.
So the signing bonus is earned the moment you sign it.
When do you get that money?
That's a separate issue.
How much is guaranteed fully and completely at the moment you sign?
This year, next year, the next year.
There will be rolling guarantees.
A lot of contracts will guarantee the first two years, and then after the first year, the third year becomes guaranteed.
So the only way you avoid the third year is to cut the guy after one year and pay him for two years.
Structure shows so much about whether, to what extent, the team's hands are tied.
We talked about this on PFT Live.
These contracts are one way.
The team can tear them up at any time, the player cannot.
The only thing that keeps the player from having his deal torn up by the team is a structure that makes it fiscally unwise to move on, whether it's because of the money that's owed or because of the cap charge that would come from moving the player, either by cutting him or trading him prematurely.
So Jalen Carter deserved every penny.
And the kicker for him, beyond the fact that he's pretty damn good, arguably one of the best, if not the best, defensive tackles in the NFL, the leverage point came from the fifth-year option that was north of 27 million, and then you throw on the franchise tag.
The numbers get out of whack.
They did a deal that is going to take care of him.
It goes beyond the expiration of his contract in 2027 by four years, and we'll see where it goes.
Because the only guarantee as it relates to duration is tied to the guarantee as it relates to the money.
If the two, three, four years, whatever it is, whatever it is, the player's on the team until the moment that the cap consequences of making a move, the cash consequences of making a move, make it prudent to do so, even if the player's performance drops.
It's one of the reasons why Jalen Hurts has never had his status as the starting quarterback questioned.
There's never been talk about a trade.
They've done these deals, and they do cash over cap with roster bonuses, option bonuses, avoidable years that help you smooth out the long-term cap charges, but create chaos if you pull the plug prematurely.
My guess is Jalen Carter has a deal something like that
