Why Was Jalen Carter Ejected? What Did Eagles DT Do vs Cowboys?

For Jalen Carter, playing on that edge is what makes him the Eagles‘ most devastating defensive weapon. But on the very first play of the 2025 season, in a deafening opening-night atmosphere against the Dallas Cowboys, he didn’t just approach that line, he spat on it.

Just six seconds in. That’s all it took. During a pause in the action as Eagles special teamer Ben VanSumeren was being treated for an injury, the cameras found Carter. He was not on the sideline. He was in the backfield, locked in on Dak Prescott. Videos from the scene showed the Eagles’ DT walking up to the Cowboys QB, saying something, before the ultimate violation: he spit on him. The flag was immediate, the ejection instantaneous,

As reporter Chris Franklin simply put it, “Eagles DT Jalen Carter has already been ejected from the game.” The collective “WTF” from Eagles Nation, as one tweet echoed, was palpable. The reason? A moment of pure, unadulterated fury.  According to Wesley Steinberg, “Wow, what a disgrace from #Cowboys QB Dak Prescott by rage baiting Jalen Carter into spitting on him. Awful look for the league on opening night.”

The officials saw it clearly: an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty so severe it warranted an immediate ejection. The reality, as Antwan V. Staley noted, set in quickly: “Ejected and likely suspended too. Unreal.”

The rulebook prohibits acts “detrimental to the game,” and spitting on an opponent is among the most visceral transgressions, carrying an automatic 15-yard penalty and, in severe cases, an immediate dismissal. This fire, this barely-contained inferno, isn’t a new development for those who know Carter best. It’s the same drive that had him playing a barefoot, midnight one-on-one basketball game under car headlights as a Georgia freshman against linebacker Trezmen Marshall. 

His former teammate Nakobe Dean recalled that scene, saying, “It was intense. Like, I don’t think they could have got into a fight, but they could have got into a fight.” It was hysterical, Dean said, but also a perfect introduction to J.C., a blend of ferocious competitiveness and playful swagger. Carter himself remembered the physicality, telling The Inquirer, “When I had the ball and I was backing him down, it was really like we got shoulder pads on, just hitting each other.” He plays everything with that same edge, a switch that flips, transforming him into a nearly unblockable menace. Remember when he hit Mahomes?

A midnight game, A relentless edge

In the Super Bowl LIX game, Jalen Carter hit Patrick Mahomes’ helmet twice, and still was not penalized. The anger issues? Yes! Even teammates like center Cam Jurgens call it a “switch” that flips, a transformation into an unstoppable force. “When he’s angry, you know he’s playing extra hard…It’s fun because you work on your technique and your game, and you need players like that on your team. He brings a certain type of edge where we wouldn’t be the same without him,” Jurgens has said. Today, the Eagles were forced to find out just how true that was, instantly.

Nevertheless, Carter later came up with an apology note. He said, “It was a mistake that happened on my side, and it just won’t happen again….I feel bad for my teammates and the fans out there.”

After a rookie season that announced his arrival with a dominant stat line of 33 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 8 tackles for loss, his sophomore campaign saw him explode into a full-blown superstar, earning Pro Bowl honors with 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He’s the straw that stirs the drink for a defense transitioning from the Fletcher Cox era. His otherworldly combination of strength and agility, the same one that had him playing barefoot, midnight basketball games in college, makes him a constant double-team threat.

Now, his early exit is a seismic setback. Carter is Philadelphia’s most disruptive interior force, a Pro Bowl talent crucial against both the run and the pass. Losing him on the opening kickoff left the unit scrambling, a gaping hole in the heart of their defense before the game had even properly begun. Now, he will be subjected to a hefty fine by the NFL next week.