Eagles training camp: Is Jalen Carter headed for a Micah Parsons-like contract dispute?

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PHILADELPHIA − Eagles fans are no doubt loving every second of the Micah Parsons vs. Jerry Jones contract dispute with the Dallas Cowboys.

The latest salvo came last week when Parsons, the All Pro edge rusher, wrote a long-winded message on social media about how "I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys." Jones, the Cowboys owner who seems to relish in the yearly drama with a star player's contract, replied by telling reporters he's not trading Parsons, and it's just "a negotiating ploy."

You can bet your bottom Jerry Jones dollar that Parsons will sign with the Cowboys, and become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, just like wide receiver CeeDee Lamb last season and quarterback Dak Prescott before him.

Could the Eagles possibly face a similar situation over the next few years with their star defensive lineman in tackle Jalen Carter?

It's not out of the realm of possibility. All you had to do was see Carter spending several minutes talking with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, after practice on Aug. 3.

Let's stop here for a moment.

We all know that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been the anti-Jerry Jones in getting deals done with star young players years long before they're even eligible for free agency.

In the last few years alone, Roseman has done this with Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata and Cam Jurgens. And Roseman has said as recently as July 23 that he plans to pay young players who will be eligible for second contracts in the coming years.

That most notably means Carter and cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

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"When you draft guys, you can show them examples that if you do the right thing on and off the field, we're going to make sure that we keep you here and maybe even have a chance to finish your career here," Roseman said.

That sounds great, but it takes two sides to agree.

It just so happens that Carter is eligible for a contract extension next spring. And no doubt Carter and Rosenhaus are closely watching what transpires with Parsons and the Cowboys, as well as Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals.

They already saw the $40 million-plus annual average salaries signed by both the Steelers' TJ Watt and Cleveland's Myles Garrett (he, too, demanded a trade before changing his mind).

In other words, Carter could sign an extension next spring that could make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

But if Carter waits another two years (assuming the Eagles at least pick up Carter's fifth-year option for 2027) to when he's eligible for free agency, he can make much more.

Hurts, for example, was the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history when he signed his five-year, $255 million extension in the spring of 2023. Two years later, Hurts' contract ranks 10th.

That, of course, is the difference between Roseman and Jones, and why the Cowboys are constantly in salary cap purgatory while the Eagles are perennial Super Bowl contenders.

And there's no reason why Carter can't get even better on the field.

In his second year last season, Carter was an All Pro and a Pro Bowl selection. And as Carter put it after practice on Aug. 3, when asked his goals for this season:

"What I did last year plus more," Carter said. "I feel it all comes in order. If I play good, do what I gotta do ... all the defensive player of the year, the trophies, etc., they just fall in order."

Carter missed the first few practices of training camp with a shoulder injury. He took part in a spirited practice on Aug. 1, in which the Eagles' offense was working on red-zone plays inside the 5-yard line.

This was Carter's first team drills against the first-team offense, and running back Saquon Barkley was fired up. He took the ball up the middle each time, barreling his way right into Carter, who delivered a shot or two, before continuing into the end zone.

After the second TD, Barkley got up, looked at Carter, and started talking trash.

"It's just friendly competition," Carter said. "That’s what I like, just having a little energy in practice. We can’t hit each other. We don’t want to hurt each other like that. But just getting a little thud in, letting him know I was there, stuff like that."

Barkley, of course, let Carter know he was there, too.

"He’s one of the GOATS," Carter said. "So I know he’s there. We gotta stop him."

The Eagles certainly know that Carter is there, and they want him to stay there for his entire career. But it's going to cost the Eagles. It's just a question of how soon − and how much.

Just ask Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones.

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AJ Brown sits out with injury, DeVonta Smith returns

Star WR A.J. Brown sat out the Aug. 3 practice with a hamstring injury, but DeVonta Smith returned after missing nearly a week with a back injury. Smith showed the time off served him well, catching a medium-range crossing pass, then speeding by a defender

Other notable returnees included two players who also missed a handful of practices in edge rusher Nolan Smith (concussion) and rookie safety Drew Mukuba (shoulder).

Eagles training camp observations

• Jalen Hurts had a strong practice, connecting with Smith on the crosser, and a nice back-shoulder sideline pass to Dallas Goedert, who caught it with rookie linebacker Smael Mondon in tight coverage.
• Keep an eye on running back ShunDerrick Powell. With Montrell Johnson out with an injury, Powell had a nice run down the right side against the second unit.
• Here's a quintessential Jihaad Campbell sequence: He was lined up as an edge rusher on one play but dropped into coverage to pick up Barkley as Hurts threw incomplete deep to Jahan Dotson. A few plays later, Campbell, back at linebacker, broke up a pass over the middle intended for Ainias Smith.
• Practice ended with LB Dallas Gant intercepting Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the front of the end zone on an attempted 2-point conversion.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com