Jalen Carter just gave every productive defensive tackle in football a very expensive vision board. His reported four-year, $152 million extension with the Philadelphia Eagles includes $106 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid player at his position, a development the Minnesota Vikings should notice while another Jalen -- Jalen Redmond -- remains cheap.
Redmond will earn $1.075 million in 2026 after signing his exclusive-rights tender earlier this year, which is roughly what Carter may now find between the couch cushions. Minnesota controls Redmond as a restricted free agent in 2027, so there’s no immediate threat of him strolling into unrestricted free agency.
However, Redmond’s 2025 breakout gives the front office a reason to consider doing business before that leverage changes, as he set career highs with 62 tackles, six sacks, 12 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, five passes defended, and two fumble recoveries while starting 15 games last season.
Jalen Carter's new contract could increase the urgency to extend Jalen Redmond for the Minnesota Vikings
Those numbers pushed Redmond’s career totals to 80 tackles, seven sacks, 18 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, seven passes defended, one forced fumble and two recoveries across 30 games. His 793 defensive snaps also showed he could handle starter-level work rather than feast in a carefully managed rotation.
Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave were also released this offseason, leaving Redmond, 27, as the established player in a room suddenly built around projection, upside and rookie-contract patience this summer.
Let's be real here, Carter operates in a whole ‘nother zip code. He’s younger, owns two Pro Bowl selections, arrived as a top-10 draft pick, and has already been treated like a foundational star by Philadelphia.
Redmond’s résumé contains one full season of high-end production, so he’ll need another monster season before even sniffing Carter’s tax bracket.
Redmond’s realistic market could potentially land him closer to earning $15 million to $20 million per year if he repeats his 2025 production in 2026.
A three-year extension in the $45 million to $54 million range would reward a player who climbed from the XFL while giving Minnesota protection against another jump in defensive tackle salaries.
Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange can develop on rookie contracts around him, while Levi Drake Rodriguez and Elijah Williams give the defensive line additional inexpensive contributors.
Buying early on Redmond would let the Vikings keep their most proven interior producer without asking the two 2026 draft picks to become the entire plan immediately.
Redmond now gets the 2026 season to prove six sacks weren’t a one-year spike. If he starts knocking down quarterbacks again, Minnesota could find themselves paying for two breakout seasons instead of one.
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