New Delhi, July 29 -- PHILADELPHIA - Three NFL seasons. Thirteen-and-a-half sacks. One Pro Bowl. On July 28, the Philadelphia Eagles decided that Jalen Carter had done enough in 72 regular season games to make him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the history of professional football.

valued defensively, underpaid contractually, consistently bypassed as the market elevated edge rushers, cornerbacks, and quarterbacks ahead of them. Carter's deal changes that calculation permanently.

"This city believed in me when a lot of people didn't," Carter said after the signing was announced. The Eagles selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia, where he was considered the most disruptive interior lineman in c...