From Staff Reports
In Summary:
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed former Apopka Blue Darter Jalen Carter to a four-year extension that keeps him with the team through 2031. The deal is reportedly worth $152 million, with the potential to reach $160 million, making Carter the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackle by average annual value. Carter starred at Apopka High School before winning two national championships at Georgia and helping Philadelphia capture Super Bowl LIX.
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Jalen Carter’s journey from the Apopka High School football field to the top of the NFL’s defensive tackle market reached another milestone Tuesday.
The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they have agreed to a four-year contract extension with Carter, keeping the former Apopka Blue Darter with the franchise through the 2031 season.
Related: Jalen Carter returned home earlier this month to host a free youth football camp at Apopka High School.
The extension is worth a reported $152 million and could reach $160 million, with $106 million guaranteed, according to multiple national reports. Its average annual value of $38 million makes Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
The 25-year-old Carter has emerged as one of the NFL’s premier interior defensive linemen since Philadelphia selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He earned a place on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team after recording six sacks during his first season. Carter followed that performance by earning second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2024, when he led the Eagles with 45 quarterback pressures, 16 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss.
Carter also helped Philadelphia capture Super Bowl LIX with a 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection following the 2025 season.
The Eagles exercised the fifth-year option on Carter’s rookie contract in April, placing him under team control through 2027. The new agreement adds four seasons and ensures that he will remain a centerpiece of Philadelphia’s defense well into the next decade.
For Apopka football fans, Carter’s rise began long before he became an NFL first-round pick.
The Apopka native developed into one of the country’s most highly recruited players while competing for the Blue Darters. His versatility extended far beyond defensive tackle: Carter also played tight end and punter and saw time at fullback during his high school career.
As a senior, Carter recorded 64 tackles, including 38 solo stops, and 12 sacks. He helped lead Apopka to a 12-1 record, a No. 5 state ranking and an appearance in the FHSAA Class 8A championship game.
Carter was ranked as Central Florida’s top prospect and received an invitation to the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game. He also played basketball and competed in weightlifting for Apopka, finishing second in the Class 2A heavyweight division after recording a 395-pound bench press.
His performance drew comparisons to another celebrated Apopka High School defensive tackle, Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.
Carter continued his career at the University of Georgia, where he became a unanimous All-American and helped the Bulldogs win consecutive national championships. He finished his three-year college career with 83 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and six sacks before entering the NFL Draft.
Carter has maintained ties to his hometown during his rise to professional stardom. With assistance from his mother, he organized his first youth football camp in Apopka in 2022, returning to the community where he first attended football camps as a young player.
Now, less than seven years after helping the Blue Darters reach the state championship game, Carter has secured his place among the NFL’s highest-paid and most valued defensive players.
Key Points:
- Jalen Carter agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles.
- The reported $152 million agreement could reach $160 million and includes $106 million guaranteed.
- Carter will remain under contract with Philadelphia through the 2031 season.
- He recorded 64 tackles and 12 sacks as a senior for the Apopka Blue Darters.
- Carter later won two national championships at Georgia and helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX.
