Record levels of compensation continue to proliferate around the NFL, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, further showcasing the league’s vast wealth.
This week’s beginning of training camps has marked a series of contract extensions and restructurings, and NFL teams are taking additional advantage of a $301.2 million salary cap that rose 8% from 2025 and set a new league record. Among the latest deals:
The Eagles signed two-team Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter to a four-year, $152 million contract extension. The agreement, worth up to $160 million overall and containing $106 million in guaranteed money, is the richest ever for a defensive tackle, in both average annual value and total guaranteed money. Carter is now under contract through the 2031 season.
The Browns signed defensive back Denzel Ward to a two-year, $62.2 million contract extension. That deal includes $52.3 million in guaranteed money, and makes Ward the highest-paid player at this position in league history for the second time. With an AAV of $31.1 million, the Browns deal also shows a further retooling for Cleveland after June’s trade of star defensive end Myles Garrett, and it moves just past the Rams’ deal with cornerback Trent McDuffie signed less than five months ago.
