Vic Fangio Praises Jalen Carter's Offseason Progress

This offseason, Jalen Carter and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $152 million, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.

With the size of the contract comes increased expectations, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believes Carter's offseason work has him on track to justify the historic deal.

"He's doing the little things better… I'm really excited for what the possibilities are with him."

The Eagles traded up in the 2023 NFL Draft to select Carter with the ninth overall pick. In his rookie season, Carter recorded six sacks and was second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Carter was instrumental in the Eagles' run to their Super Bowl LIX victory. The Georgia product came up huge late in the game with a sack on Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and got pressure on the following play, which lead to an inaccurate pass sealing the win. Carter was ranked 43rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025.

Last season, Carter dealt with lingering injuries to both shoulders, limiting his participation during training camp and restricting his ability to lift weights and maintain conditioning throughout the year.

Combined with a heel injury and a one-game suspension due to disciplinary action, Carter played in only 11 games. Despite the missed time, he was still named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.

When asked about Carter's status early in the offseason, Fangio said the defensive tackle was in a much better position.

"I think his shoulders are fine," Fangio said. "He's had a good offseason of lifting. I think he started that earlier than normal for him and you can see the difference in that regard. I think he's in a better spot now than he was."

Carter has reportedly had an extremely strong training camp, standing out among an already talented Eagles defense. As one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league, Carter's ability to disrupt games will be a major piece of the Eagles' defensive identity.