Why the Eagles are reportedly waffling over a Jalen Carter contract extension

[ASFN Admin]

At his absolute best, Jalen Carter is one of the NFL's most disruptive interior defensive linemen. A true force of nature at the line of scrimmage, the former All-Pro's presence and capacity to destroy an offensive game plan by himself make him the anchor of the Philadelphia Eagles' defense when it's on all cylinders.

At his worst, Carter can prove emotional (rash?), perhaps even unreliable, as shoulder injury issues limited his capacity for dominance last season in Philadelphia. That dichotomy is precisely why it sounds like the Eagles might be a little hesitant to commit to Carter like a franchise player.

At least, that's according to the interpretation of Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

In Breer's latest mailbag, the reporter tackles Carter's talks with the Eagles about securing a long-term extension and what seems like hesitancy from Philadelphia. Per Breer, based on his read of the situation, the Eagles are, in fact, hesitant to back up a Brinks Truck for Carter. Even though they just exercised the fifth-year option on Carter's rookie contract, that doesn't mean the Eagles seem any more comfortable with a bigger commitment to the mammoth defensive tackle.

More from Sports Illustrated:

Philadelphia is telling you what you need to know with its actions. The Eagles have always been aggressive paying their own, in large part because they know that the earlier you do the deal, the better the price you’ll get. It’s a strategy that takes commitment from ownership, which Philly clearly has (some owners would rather keep money in their accounts until the summer), and has served the team very well over the years.So the fact that we’re into June without Jalen Carter having a deal is notable. And I’d guess if they do one now, before his fourth season as a pro, then it’d come with flexibility for the team. If Carter won’t give them that flexibility now, maybe he’ll just wait another year. Which would make this a little like the George Pickens situation in Dallas—where a team might want to see a little more from a player, just from a character perspective, before committing long term.

That logic makes a lot of sense. The Eagles are arguably the best-run organization in pro football. They are usually rather proactive about securing mutually beneficial contract extensions for players they like. It's their style. The mere fact that there's any delay with Carter now, who is entering his fourth NFL season, reeks of Philadelphia taking a "wait and see" approach with him for the time being.

We'll see how this situation continues to develop for one of the NFL's best teams and one of its highest-profile younger players.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Eagles hemming and hawing about Jalen Carter extension. Here's why

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