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Eagles Star Jalen Carter Gets Unfortunate Health News Ahead of Super Bowl

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Feb 5, 2025 4:01 PM ET

Defensive lineman Jalen Carter has quickly become an anchor for an exceptional Philadelphia Eagles defense, which makes the news about his health that broke Wednesday, Feb. 5, all the more unfortunate and disconcerting.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday afternoon that Carter missed his Super Bowl 2025 media session due to a somewhat ambiguous health issue that could have the potential to persist in the days ahead.

"[Eagles] standout DL Jalen Carter missed his media availability today because of an illness, I’m told," Rapoport wrote in an X post. "We’ll learn later about whether he participated in practice and if so, how much."

Rapoport gave no indication on the nature of Carter's illness, be it viral or bacterial, though his post indicated that there should be more information coming in the hours and days ahead.

Losing Carter would be catastrophic for Philly, though there is no reason to suspect with any certainty that he won't be on the field come Sunday. However, even if Carter plays at a version of himself somewhere shy of 100 percent, that could mean serious problems for the Eagles.

Carter was among the best defensive linemen in the NFL during his second professional season, finishing the campaign with Pro Bowl honors and as a Second-Team All-Pro. He finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2023.

Carter ended the year with 53 QB pressures, 6 pass deflections, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles as an elite pass-rusher on the interior. However, he was also good against the run and tallied 30 solo tackles on the season, per Pro Football Focus.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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