The Philadelphia Eagles haven't lost many deals in the Howie Roseman era. If anything, regardless of whether they come via trade or making the most of a player someone else gave up on, they usually end up on the winning side of most transactions.
Still, there are always exceptions, and that seems to be the case with Michael Carter II. Once considered a promising player with plenty of upside, it didn't take long for the Eagles to change their stance on him. As such, he's become a no-brainer cut candidate ahead of the 2026 season.
Eagles Must Cut Ties with Michael Carter II Sooner Rather Than Later
Midway through the season, the Eagles sent WR John Metchie and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets to get Carter and a 2027 seventh-round pick. On paper, it was a no-brainer move, as the Eagles had a surplus of pass catchers but had struggled in the secondary. Carter was on a team-friendly deal that had another year of club control, so he was a classic low-risk/high-reward Howie Roseman move.
Then, the fifth-year veteran failed to make the most of his opportunity. He played a total of 106 defensive snaps since joining the team, the most coming in Week 18 in the regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders (65). As most fans may recall, the Eagles sat their starters for that game.
Moving on from Carter before June 1 would save the Eagles $8.7 million in cap space. That's not much, but given the way the Eagles have structured most of their contracts, he's one of the few players who can actually provide some form of financial relief for them, as shown by Over The Cap.
Of course, given that he still has another year in his contract, the Eagles could also choose to trade him. That would save them slightly over $10 million against the cap. That said, they would have to act fast to do so, and given that there may not be many takers for a player who played only 106 defensive snaps and 65 special teams snaps for Philadelphia, they might not want to take that risk.
If anything, they need to know how much money they'll have to spend in free agency, and that the potential financial benefit of trying to trade him doesn't outweigh the risk of not finding him a trade partner. Some bets pay off, some don't, and this one was clearly a miss.