Aug 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles helmet on the bench during a game against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles $30 Million CB Could Be on Chopping Block

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Feb 20, 2026 11:00 AM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles are fortunate to have two of the best young cornerbacks in the National Football League in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

There will be decisions for the team to make beyond these two this offseason, though. The No. 2 outside cornerback job was talked about all throughout the 2025 season. Adoree' Jackson held the starting role for much of the season and got better as the season went on. But the Eagles added to the room by acquiring Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander. Carter played in eight games with the Eagles and Alexander walked away from football. For the Eagles, they'll need to find another option this offseason for the outside and decide whether they want to retain Carter for the 2026 season.

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He's under contract, but Philadelphia can get significant salary cap relief by moving on. Because of this, NFL.com's Matt Okada called him Philadelphia's top cut candidate.

The Eagles corner is under a microscope

"Howie Roseman is arguably the best GM in the business, especially when it comes to value-maximized trades," Okada wrote. "So when he acquired Carter from the Jets in October, I didn’t ask questions. Here’s the issue: Carter played just 20 percent of the snaps after joining Philly and finished the year with a rather terrible 48.6 coverage grade from PFF (108th among 118 CBs with 250+ snaps), as well as 11.2 yards per target and a 102.7 passer rating allowed, according to Next Gen Stats.

"He’s a good run-defending corner, but Philly plays in a division with talented passers Dak Prescott, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart (with John Harbaugh at the helm). Ultimately, the Birds can cut Carter for $8.7 million in cap space and rock with Quinyon Mitchell and Adoree' Jackson on the outside (though they’ll need to re-sign Jackson before he becomes a free agent in March) and Cooper DeJean in the slot. By all accounts, Carter should be the odd man out this offseason."

The idea makes sense. The Eagles aren't strapped with a ton of salary cap space right now. Carter operates best as a nickel, but the Eagles have the best in the business in DeJean. It would be somewhat of a surprise if a decision like this wasn't made. He signed a three-year, $30.75 million deal and has two years left. Don't be surprised if a move is made, though.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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