 Carter in 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 98 – Philadelphia Eagles | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2001-04-04)April 4, 2001 (age 24) Apopka, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 314 lb (142 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Apopka | ||||||||||||||
| College | Georgia (2020–2022) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2023: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024\5 | |||||||||||||||
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Jalen Da'Quan Carter (born April 4, 2001), is an American professionalfootballdefensive tackle for thePhiladelphia Eagles of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theGeorgia Bulldogs, where he was aunanimous All-American in 2022 and a two-timeCFP national champion before being selected by the Eagles ninth overall in the2023 NFL draft. Carter earned second-teamAll-Pro honors in 2024, and played an instrumental part in helping the Eagles winSuper Bowl LIX.
Jalen Carter was born on April 4, 2001. Carter first played football for the Apopka Raptors, a youth football team in his hometown ofApopka, Florida. Carter was hailed as being a versatile player during his youth football career, he played multiple positions such asrunning back,cornerback,wide receiver, andoutside linebacker. Carter also playedquarterback during an AAU 14-under national championship game, where he threw a 70-yard touchdown pass against thePensacola Browns. In addition to playing football, Carter playedbasketball for the Raptors Elite AAU team.[1][2] Carter later attendedApopka High School, where he playedtight end,fullback, andpunter in addition to defensive tackle. Carter also played multiple sports inhigh school, including basketball andheavyweight lifting[3][4][5] As a senior, he had 12 sacks, 64 tackles, and a touchdown.[6] A five-star recruit ranked the 18th overall prospect in his class, Carter committed to playcollege football at theUniversity of Georgia.[7][8]
Carter played in eight games as a freshman, recording 12 tackles and a touchdown reception.[9] In Carter's sophomore season, he tallied 31 tackles and three sacks in 12 games.[10] This performance earned him a spot on the2021 All-SEC football team.[11] Georgia won the National Championship that year over Alabama.[12] Carter declared for the2023 NFL draft after the2023 College Football Playoff National Championship, in which the Bulldogs also won.[13][14]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 314 lb (142 kg) | 33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | |||||||||
| All values from theNFL Combine[15][16] | ||||||||||||
Jalen Carter was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 9th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth approximately $21.8 million, including a signing bonus of $13.2 million. The contract also includes a fifth-year team option for the 2027 season.
During Carter's first minicamp, he impressed the likes of veteran teammates such asDarius Slay andLane Johnson, being described by them as a "game changer", and being compared to a "babyRhino".[17]
Carter made his NFL debut on September 10 against theNew England Patriots, and in that same game, he recorded his first career sack onMac Jones.[18] During the week 14Sunday Night Football loss to theDallas Cowboys, defensive tackleFletcher Cox stripped the ball from quarterbackDak Prescott, and Carter returned the fumble 42 yards for his first NFL touchdown.[19] As a rookie, he appeared in 16 games and made one start. He finished with six sacks, 33 total tackles (20 solo), two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.[20] He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.[21] However, Jalen Carter was edged out byWill Anderson Jr. for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.[22]
In 2024, Carter was selected to his first Pro Bowl.[23] Following a Week 15 win over thePittsburgh Steelers, the NFL issued a $11,817 fine on Carter for striking tight endConnor Heyward in the head.[24][25] In asnowy Divisional Round matchup against theLos Angeles Rams, Carter had a pivotal sack on quarterbackMatthew Stafford to force fourth down in the final minute of the fourth quarter, leading to a close 28–22 victory for the Eagles after an incomplete pass.[26][27] On February 1, 2025, the league fined Carter $17,445 for the open-handed slap on centerTyler Biadasz that was not flagged in the 2025NFC Championship win against theWashington Commanders.[28] The Eagles advanced toSuper Bowl LIX, where they would defeat the two-time defending championKansas City Chiefs 40–22, giving Carter his first Super Bowl title.[29] Leading the Kansas City 34–0 late in the third quarter, the Philadelphia defensive line received high praise following their dominant performance despite not blitzing a single time, which was widely viewed to be profoundly instrumental to the victory.[30] Carter was one of a dozen Eagles players of the Super Bowl LIX championship team that did not participate in theWhite House visit in April 2025.[31] Including the postseason, Carter's five forcedfumbles since entering the NFL in 2023 are the most of any defensive tackle.[32]
Carter was ejected just six seconds into the Eagles'opening night game against theDallas Cowboys after spitting on Cowboys quarterbackDak Prescott following the opening kickoff. Carter was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which resulted in disqualification,[33][34] and was later fined $57,222 by the league. Carter was suspended for one game, though he did not have to serve it, since the league considered his early ejection as a game served.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sck | Sfty | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2023 | PHI | 16 | 1 | 33 | 20 | 13 | 8 | 6.0 | — | 2 | 1 | 42 | 1 |
| 2024 | PHI | 16 | 15 | 42 | 25 | 17 | 12 | 4.5 | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| Career | 32 | 16 | 75 | 45 | 30 | 20 | 10.5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 42 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sck | Sfty | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2023 | PHI | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 | PHI | 4 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Career | 5 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
On January 15, 2023, at approximately 2:45 a.m., a serious car crash occurred resulting in the deaths of University of Georgia staff member Chandler LeCroy and football player Devin Willock. The collision, which occurred in EastAthens after the Bulldogs had been celebrating their second consecutive national championship earlier in the evening, was believed by police to have occurred as a result ofstreet racing involving LeCroy, who was driving a 2021Ford Expedition, and Carter, who was driving a 2021Jeep Trackhawk. LeCroy, whoseblood alcohol content was 0.197, more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash, veered off the road after failing to make a proper turn at a high speed. She struck at least twoutility poles, downing one of them, and trees before the car came to a stop against the door of an apartment building, blocking the resident inside until the wreckage could be cleared away. Willock, who was not wearing hisseat belt, was ejected from the vehicle. Two other passengers were injured. It was estimated that both cars reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). LeCroy's speedometer indicated she had been traveling at 83 miles per hour (134 km/h) when it broke during the crash.[35][36][37] Carter had previously been cited for traffic violations three times during the fall semester, twice by campus authorities and once by Athens police for traveling at 89 miles per hour (143 km/h) in a 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) zone.[38]
On March 1, 2023, an arrest warrant was issued for Carter for his involvement in the accident, with charges brought against him for reckless driving and street racing. That night, Carter turned himself in and was released on a $4,000 bond.[39][40] He pleadedno contest to the charges on March 16, and was given 12 months of probation, along with a $1,000 fine, and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service and a driving course.[41] On May 10, 2023, Dave Willock Sr., Devin Willock's father, filed a $40 million lawsuit, in which Carter was named a defendant.[42][43] On July 13, 2023, Victoria Bowles, a former Georgia staffer who survived the car wreck, filed a lawsuit against Carter and the Georgia athletic association.[44][45]
