Why did Eagles feel comfortable extending Carter?
Mike Florio and Chris Simms break down the Eagles' decision to give Jalen Carter a historic new contract extension, questioning if situations like Albert Haynesworth's deal in 2009 were considered.
Video Transcript
The other issue with Jalen Carter, and I go back to March.
Yeah.
When they signed Jordan Davis- Yeah to a deal with a new money value of 26 million per year, there was a report, I believe it was from Jeremy Fowler at the time, that the Eagles were getting calls about Jalen Carter.
Exactly.
And I remember thinking- Yeah.
Uh-huh that comes not from the other teams that are calling.
That comes from the team that is getting the calls.
Yeah.
And it may have been as simple as this guy wants the moon, let's allow for a little tampering here.
So And sometimes tampering is good- Sure for the team that's being tampered with because the player's agent finds out that, you know what?
They're not willing to pay elsewhere what we're trying to get from the Eagles.
And that helps inform everyone's position, and it helps to expedite the process of getting a deal done.
But maybe that's why the Eagles delayed it, because may- maybe they would've paid more- Uh-huh in March.
Maybe the argument from Drew Rosenhaus to the Eagles in March was, "This guy should be paid like an edge rusher."
Yeah, 40 million a year or something.
Yeah.
"This guy's as disruptive."
Uh-huh.
Yeah, 40's the number.
40's the number.
That's the sense I get that was going on, Mike.
Because that's now the floor.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Now, but think it, it's, it, it, it makes perfect sense.
It's the argument I would make- Right on behalf of Jalen Carter.
Mm-hmm.
40's now the number.
The, the bottom line for the best edge rushers.
It should be the top line for the best interior rushers, because at the end of the day, it's the same job.
It's the same function.
And you could argue it's even more impressive when it happens when you're in that cluster of bodies in the middle, where you got two or three guys trying to keep you from doing what you're trying to do, and you're still able to do it.
Yeah, exactly.
And you're, you know, you're involved in the run game, anything between the tackles.
I mean, you're, you're at the front and center, even though nobody's gonna really notice 'cause you got two guys on you and you're going, "Rah, don't move me.
I'm staying here so everybody else can make the tackle."
And there's just incredible value with that.
There is.
And, and Mike, that's the sense I got, you know, the, you know, just, just paying attention, knowing a few things, that that's why we heard some of those rumors and some of the things that came out last week because I got the sense that he was asking for a little bit more maybe than he even got here.
But regardless, he got a ton of money.
And I think here's one other thing I just, that I think is, like, fun to point out here.
We're talking about the defensive tackles, and I don't know if we can put that up one more time as far as the highest paid defensive tackles.
Do we have that graphic?
But, but regardless, if we do or don't, I want you to look at it, 'cause here's the list.
Jalen Carter, Jeffrey Simmons, Chris Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams.
Now, if anybody wonders, 'cause I get this question, why do you call the Eagles an all-star team at times?
Huh.
Let me think about this.
Well, they had three of these guys on the same team at one time.
That's why.
And then they got the three best offensive linemen in football to go along with it, too.
That's just Just think about that, though.
Three of these guys were on that Eagles team.
One of them didn't even start 'cause they were so damn good up front.
They were like, "Hey, you're one of the best defensive linemen in football, but we got four best ones already, so you, you're gonna have to sit on the bench."
That's just incredible to think about.
Again, the incredible team building, scouting by Howie Roseman, the Eagles, all of it, the contracts.
They continue to kick butt, but I just found that to be a funny little element as I was, you know, watching this stuff last night.
Yeah, those three guys, Carter, Davis, and Williams, were on the team that won Super Bowl 59.
Yeah.
And then Williams got his money with the Patriots in free agency because the Eagles knew at the time what was coming.
Exactly.
We gotta pay Jalen Carter, we gotta pay Jordan Davis.
Yep.
And we can't pay three guys top of the market at the defensive tackle position.
Let me ask you another question as it relates to defensive tackles generally.
Yeah.
And I wonder if there was a conversation, if the Eagles would've decided to submit to offseason Hard Knocks, which will never happen again because of the Giants experience two years ago.
Would one of the conversations in Howie Roseman's office have gone like this: "What about Albert Haynesworth?
What about Daryl Gardner?"
Sure.
If you remember him.
Sure.
There was that reputation for the guy who busts his ass to get the big contract, and then realizes given the position he plays- this shit hurts.
Yeah.
I don't Like, I've, I've gotten The dog has caught the car, to use the very common metaphor.
What do you do when you catch the car?
I'm done chasing it.
Like, is there a, a mindset that because of the physical toll of playing that position, once you give the guy everything he's always wanted, he may not be the same guy?
Yeah.
I, there, there is gonna be some of that.
The, there is.
You know, I, I, I got to experience the Albert Haynesworth thing.
I think that's, again, where you gotta really have faith in your ability to evaluate the person, right, the, in that way.
And, and know what he's all about.
How much does he love the sport?
Is he willing to work, right?
Is it important to him?
I think that's the big thing.
See, in Tennessee, they, they were, they were right, obviously, and they had the fear of that.
Albert Haynesworth was the best defensive player in football.
I was on that team in 2008, and I would be, "Oh my gosh, it's unbelievable."
We'd play the Houston Texans and Kyle Shanahan, and Kubiak was the head coach, and Shanahan was the offensive coordinator.
And I'd see him in pregame, and he'd be like, "Albert Haynesworth, man."
And I'd be like, "Yeah, have fun with that today.
I hope your game plan doesn't get, you know, totally shit on."
but yes.
But they also knew a little bit that Albert didn't always give 100%.
Albert wasn't always gonna be in the weight room.
Albert, you know, we'd question, did he, you know, did he care if we won or lost?
They, they, you know, the team questioned that.
I'm not saying I did, but I think that was there.
And then of course, it got proo- you know, proven true when he went to Washington and kind of fizzled out in such a hurry.
But yeah, you do have to worry about it, but I think that's where your, your people skills really come in handy there, Mike.
Does that count as irony that Kyle Shanahan eventually got Albert Haynesworth in Washington?
Yeah.
Does that count?
You're, you're, you're right.
You're right.
He got him, right?
He got him Let's see.
Did he get him- He didn't get the one he wanted.
They didn't get the one he wanted.
They got him after, what, Jim, yeah, Jim Zorn was there.
Then they got hired, and then he, yeah, he went there.
You're right.
And, and then of course then he went to New England and fizzled out there as well.
But, but yeah, you're always worried about that, but there's a lot of other cases of guys getting paid and still balling out and being unbelievable, you know that too.
But yeah, it's the people skills to me.
Well, and here's the reality with Jalen Carter.
He doesn't need to do all that other stuff.
Remember we're at the combine and they're talking about, we, we, we asked the guys who's the freakiest player you've seen- Yeah and they're talking about Jalen Carter asleep in the locker room.
Right.
Wakes up, goes out, and has three sacks.
Yeah.
Like, he d- maybe he doesn't need to do all the other stuff that other guys need to do.
No, he might not.
He may just be built in a way- Yeah that he is such a dominant athlete, and imagine how good he could be if he did all that stuff.
But maybe for a guy like him, you don't have that same fear because he didn't do all that other stuff to get the contract.
He just showed up and blew people away, and he's gonna continue to do that for the foreseeable future.
Maybe that's what made the Eagles comfortable.
May- maybe, and y- you know, you're right though, Mike.
Maybe he doesn't have to do that other stuff.
That's totally cool, right?
I watched Warren Sapp.
He wasn't like Johnny Weight Room, let me get in there and do every exercise and watch my diet and I'm gonna be Johnny Professional.
But the one thing you couldn't question about Warren Sapp, even though you might not get what you want, you know, in the weight room and stuff like that, when we went on the football field, there was no doubt who loved football on the, on the, on the field.
No, but no doubt.
One guy loved it.
He was telling everybody he loved it.
If you weren't doing good, he was telling you you weren't doing good enough, 'cause he loved the team and wanted to win.
And so if you don't, that's fine.
You're right.
Jalen Carter's got enough talent.
As long as, again, they go back to the people skills, reading people.
He loves the sport and he loves to compete and winning's important to him.
You, you can deal with the other stuff.
You can.
He is one of those rare guys where, y- the, you know, Pete DeMelitilitis and Matt Casey will tell you, when he came out in the draft, I was like, "Oh my gosh, is this the best defensive tackle I've ever seen in my life?"
I mean, that, that's really some of the words that came out of my mouth.
I don't remember anybody looking like this in college football.
Holy crap.
And he's had moments like that in the NFL, more than moments.
So, yeah, h- they obviously feel good that he's got that kinda inner drive in him.
