The education of Jalen Carter: Cold tubs, Eagles vets in his ear, and 401(k)s

Jalen Carter loves playing football.

It’s a sentence that could have quotes and be attributed to the many Eagles who have made the statement — from the general manager to coaches to player upon player — since the rookie was drafted in April.

But what exactly does that mean?

Kentavius Street, upon making the claim, used an exchange between Eagles defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and Carter during training camp to demonstrate the top draft pick’s love for playing football.

“Usually guys come out five or 10 minutes before and get a real good stretch in and then go into our team stretch. But Jalen was just coming out there doing our little pre-practice D-line drills and going straight into practice,” the defensive tackle said recently before the Eagles traded him to the Falcons on Monday.

“And Rocker was getting on him like, ‘Man, I know you love playing football, and I know you’re ready to get straight into football, but you got to do something with your body before you go straight into practice.’”

Street’s anecdote was meant to convey Carter’s no-frills approach, but it could also illustrate the subtext when franchise leaders find it necessary to trumpet a supremely gifted prospect’s passion for the game.

Love of playing is much different from loving everything else that is required for playing football at the highest level possible. Carter has the first component, which is important. He will likely be a top-tier defensive tackle based on that and his talent alone.

But to become truly great — and Carter’s first NFL games have suggested that potential — he will need more than just that joy to push him when he’s not on the field. He will need to make the right decisions, from his food intake to his fitness to his finances to his family.

» READ MORE: Inside Jalen Carter’s circle: How the rookie is learning to be a pro after a turbulent path to the Eagles helped provide a fresh start

Carter had access to many resources in college at Georgia, but the Eagles offer world-class support.

“I’m like old-school. I like the way Ray Lewis did it — just go out there and play,” Carter said, referring to the Hall of Fame linebacker, when asked about utilizing all that his new team provides. “I’m still getting used to the new things that are out there for us to use.”

Carter is far from the first to experience this adjustment, and he is far from alone in his journey. It has been and will be an all-hands-on-deck effort from the Eagles to give their first-round investment every opportunity to capitalize on his abilities.

“It’s impressive how much he loves football,” Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. “He’s like a sponge. He’s asking for feedback. He’s getting coached hard. And even from his peers, he’s taking a lot of coaching from his peers. And whoever he can feel like he can get information from, a lot of guys are touching him.”

Among the players, Fletcher Cox has taken the lead in mentoring Carter. Brandon Graham has been the other veteran most often in his ear. Jordan Davis, despite having just one more year of experience, has also helped show his former Georgia teammate the ropes.

Cox has often picked Davis’ brain to best understand how to relate to Carter. He said he has judged the rookie based on their interactions alone, and not the pre-draft incidents that caused maybe the best raw talent in the draft class to fall to the Eagles.

“Jordan knows him better, so I’ll be like, ‘How should I handle things with J.C.?’ And that’s helped a lot,” Cox said. “There have been a lot of guys who have come here [that] got a bad rap, but until you know somebody, that’s the biggest thing about it. And J.C.’s one of the best players, but he’s an even better person once you get to know him.”

The Eagles spent significant time getting to know Carter before the draft. Dom DiSandro, chief security officer and a senior adviser to general manager Howie Roseman, headed the investigation, especially after Carter was involved in a car racing crash in January that killed a Georgia football player and staff member.

Carter’s stock with some teams also took a hit when he appeared out of shape during his pro day workout. And then there were reports that some Georgia coaches wouldn’t endorse the All-American because they didn’t approve of his practice and classroom habits.

Roseman acknowledged the tragedy of the crash and the fact that its fallout affected Carter’s conditioning when the Eagles drafted him. His defense of trading up a spot to No. 9 centered on Carter’s youth and the organization’s ability to nurture and develop him.

But Roseman ultimately followed the adage Andy Reid would often declare whenever the Eagles had to make a decision on a player with red flags: Production equals tolerance. DiSandro had to sign off on Carter, and owner Jeffrey Lurie had to give his final approval, but the GM ultimately had Carter atop his board.

» READ MORE: Meet the Eagles’ mystery man, their ‘Papa Bear’ head of security with a heart of gold

So far, Roseman looks to have made the right decision.

On the field, Carter has made an early case for defensive rookie of the year, despite minor injuries to his ankle and back. (The latter injury should not sideline him for Sunday’s showdown vs. the Cowboys.) And when he isn’t playing, he has seemingly handled his business like a pro, even if, as one team source said, “He just needs some reprogramming and help with life skills.”

Team leaders have to be careful not to pamper the 22-year-old. The Eagles, like many franchises, have made mistakes when it comes to their stars. The treatment can often depend upon the individual; i.e., Jalen Hurts is different from Carson Wentz.

But changes at the collegiate level, especially as it relates to the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness deals, have given blue-chippers at elite programs more sway than ever. Carter was knocked down a few pegs after the Bulldogs won their second straight national championship.

A fully guaranteed $22 million contract and his early success have him back at the top, though. The Eagles, meanwhile, have attempted to show restraint in giving Carter certain advantages. And publicly they’ve tried to manage expectations.

“We won’t put him in Canton yet,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said last month. “He’s got to just keep going each and every day and getting better, and it’s about consistency.”

When Carter wakes up, almost each and every morning there’s a text message from Cox on his phone.

“I always send him a reminder about what time we have to be in the building, or stuff like that,” Cox said. “He’s really good about responding and being on time. That’s the biggest thing.”

Cox may be far removed from his rookie season, but the 12-year veteran probably knows what Carter is experiencing the best. While different physically, stylistically, and mentally, both were prodigious first-round defensive tackles with high ceilings.

As impressive as Cox’s first season was, he didn’t explode out of the gate like Carter. He became a perennial Pro Bowler in the middle of his career and will end up one of the greatest Eagles ever, but there has been a sentiment at the NovaCare Complex that he could have been a Hall of Famer had he maximized his abilities.

Cox declined to go into further detail about his advice for the rookie, but Carter said that it often involves holding him accountable.

“He tells me the truth on and off the field,” Carter said. “Even with stuff that doesn’t even have to do with football, he’s been helping me with it. That’s one guy who will tell me nothing but the truth. And B.G.

“I’m listening to the older guys because they have more knowledge.”

Graham, also a former first-rounder, faced more challenges than Cox early on. A knee injury and coaching and scheme changes kept him from optimizing his capabilities. But he had to look inward, as well, and recalled his frustration when he was told he had to play special teams during Chip Kelly’s tenure as coach.

Former Eagles tackle Jason Peters, he said, called him out about his attitude.

“What happens is they first usually send other players to tell you to get it on. Like, ‘We need you,’” Graham said. “And when it gets bad, that’s when [the coaches] say it to you. But I’ve gotten the message myself and I’ve been the messenger.”

Carter hasn’t needed that kind of message, according to Graham. But the longtime captain, having once been labeled a bust, understands better than most the pressures that come with being a high draft pick, along with the extra conditioning rookies often need.

That message, he said, has been delivered to Carter.

“Make sure you stay on your game because you have a lot of responsibility because you’re a first-rounder. No matter if you believe it or not, shoot, the fans will show you that,” Graham said. “And so far, he’s been real good at doing the things we do after practice. Sometimes he gets tired and burnt out. It can be taxing because this is his first real season not in college.

“But we can’t have you sucking in air in the big moments we need you.”

Carter can be quiet and hard to read, Cox and Graham said. But the “Philly Dawgs” — the other former Georgia stars the Eagles drafted in the last two years — have acted as intermediaries when necessary. Carter, everyone seems to agree, listens to Davis the most.

“They have different personalities … but when it comes to Jalen and Jordan and being brothers, they understand each other,” linebacker Nakobe Dean said. “When they were [at Georgia] together, Jordan was the leader in that room. So Jalen already has that immediate respect for him.”

» READ MORE: The ‘Philly Dawg’ Five are young, hungry, and poised to impact the Eagles defense

Davis was chosen just four spots beyond Carter’s slot the year before and started almost immediately. But his first season wasn’t a cakewalk. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 7 and when he returned he lost his place as the top nose tackle to veteran Linval Joseph, who was acquired midseason.

“The fact that we had Linval and [Ndamukong] Suh in the room was crazy to me because of the experience they brought and the things that they taught me,” Davis said. “Obviously, as a football player, you want to be competitive, you want to play. But sometimes just having that bad experience and having those guys in front of you allows you to see what it takes.”

Davis picked up tips on technique, but he also adopted some of Joseph’s maintenance routines, like doing cardio or hitting the steam room immediately after practice. According to Carter, the biggest difference between college and the NFL is how players treat their bodies and handle recovery.

“I really just got into the cold tub. Getting in is hard for me,” he said. “But one of the guys told me, ‘Hop in the hot tub and then in the cold tub and you’ll feel your body transition way different.’ So I’ve been doing that. I go to the hot tub inside or I go to the sauna and then I go to the cold tub outside out back.

“And I felt a big difference in my legs.”

Nolan Smith, another of the “Philly Dawgs” who was drafted after Carter in the first round, said off-field regimens when he was at Georgia mostly involved lifting weights. The Eagles, the linebacker said, provide individualized care that can be as detailed as a player wants — if he’s open to it.

For instance, Smith now wears toe spacers after a conversation in the cold tub with veteran tackle Lane Johnson.

“I seen him with them on and he said, ‘Your feet look bad,’” Smith said. “And I said, ‘Whatcha mean? I’m fast as hell.’ But I put them on for like a week and I just felt different. And I’ve been running faster and my feet feel better.

“Just those little things.”

By his junior season at Georgia, Carter got away from doing some of the necessary little things — like giving full effort in practice or attending classes — and there were certain coaches who wouldn’t sing his praises when NFL scouts were on campus, according to league sources who were part of the process.

Carter, a Florida native, arrived in Athens, Ga. as one of the top recruits in the nation. He played in eight games as a freshman, but as ESPN first reported in September, there was a notable incident that called his character into question when he punched then-junior linebacker Quay Walker in the head.

According to sources familiar with the altercation, Walker had been giving the younger Carter a tough time and coaches attempted to broker a truce by having them shake hands. Carter instead hit Walker and knocked him out, the sources said.

Dean, who was at Athens then, declined to address the episode. He questioned the accuracy of the reports about Georgia’s coaches and, at the least, the motives of those who wouldn’t defend Carter.

“Well, yeah, some — not everybody liked him,” Dean said. “It could be just somebody not liking him and just saying stuff. Now we don’t know where people get these reports or the story is from also.”

Division I athletes have more control over their college careers than ever. In 2022, the NCAA adopted a series of changes to transfer rules and eliminated the one year of sitting out. And following the Supreme Court’s decision in NCAA v. Alston, athletes can now earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

The alterations were partly implemented for more maneuverability and to compensate high-profile athletes. While they were constructive to a degree, they have also led to some chaos in the top conferences and top programs, especially in football and basketball.

Elite players can seemingly hold the threat of transferring over coaches more than before. And on top of that, some are making millions in NIL deals. Which raises the question of whether the NFL is getting a new type of personality from college.

“Hell, yeah, they get paid now,” Graham said. “Some of these boys come in a little babied. Not saying that we got any, but I just notice that even some guys that got paid big money and didn’t go first, and they still got deals.”

The Eagles bring in players from myriad backgrounds and thus are equipped to handle most of their needs. First-rounders, by and large, have been on a track to the NFL for years and have been granted certain benefits since high school.

They’ll get obvious playing time advantages and the perks that come with being high draft selections, especially if they’re productive immediately. But the Eagles’ non-football infrastructure is available for all.

“That’s not just for a first-rounder, that’s for everybody,” Davis said. “So you should get that written down because they have a lot. It’s almost underrated how much they give — Dom; Miss Kathy [Mair, player resource coordinator]; Paul Lancaster [senior director of player engagement]; even the people in the cafeteria.

“Everybody in this building works together to run a tight ship. We all have a role. As players, our role is to play football.”

DiSandro wears many hats, but he’s often a confidant to the players, especially the troubled ones. As Kelly once said, “He should be head of psychology.”

Carter isn’t in Philadelphia without DiSandro’s giving the green light. That might make him more inclined to help the rookie out of jams, but DiSandro’s natural inclination is to lend a hand to whomever and whenever possible.

Smith said he recently ran out of gas on I-95, called DiSandro, and within 15 mins there was someone there with a jerry can.

“Thank God for Dom. He saved my life,” Smith said. “I would still be sitting on the side of I-95.”

Mair also serves as assistant director of player engagement, but a better description may be den mother. She’s a go-to staffer for many of the players’ needs, specifically helping new arrivals get acclimated and offering advice on their finances.

“Miss Kathy’s big on saving, getting a 401(k),” Carter said. “That’s very helpful for me being young and getting all this money. That’s what really hit me because I’m into saving money. I don’t want to go out and buy all this stuff that costs $500,000. I’m trying to keep it calm.”

Carter lives by himself in the Rittenhouse Square section of Center City. Davis drove him to the Rocky steps and other tourist sites when he first got to Philly. Carter, whose license had been suspended before the January incident for a previous speeding ticket, said Uber has been his primary mode of transportation here.

While he eventually pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing stemming from the Jan. 15 wreck in Athens, Carter still faces two civil lawsuits filed by the father of Devin Willock, the Georgia player killed, and Victoria Bowles, who survived the crash.

Carter said he keeps a low profile away from team facilities, and aside from the occasional dinner with the other Philly Dawgs at Steak 48 on Broad Street, he doesn’t go out much.

The Eagles have shielded him to some extent, often having two communications staffers by his side as he conducts interviews. But they’re also there to offer advice since he hardly dealt with media at Georgia and now there’s a throng in the locker room four days out of the week.

“He got a lot of attention at Georgia, too,” Dean said. “He was a big dawg on campus and that wasn’t just for one year. That was two, three years. I know it’s not of the magnitude it is here, but I don’t think it’s something that’s given to him at all.”

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter’s family threw a tailgate party. Then the Eagles rookie feasted on the Bucs in his homecoming.

Carter has had only a few minor missteps, team sources said, but he has yet to make the same error twice. He’s a pleaser by nature, one source said.

The Eagles want Carter to take advantage of all of their resources and the necessary steps to maximize his potential. But they also don’t want to sap the joy of playing the game from a young man who is already making an impact.

“That dude don’t really care about nothing else but getting straight to football,” Street said. “The fluff and duff isn’t really entertaining to him at this point. Especially in this day and age with all the technology that goes into athletes preparing their bodies, it’s funny to see that old-school mindset come out of somebody so young.

“But Jalen’s like a ball of fire. Once he starts getting wind and making plays, he rolls and he rolls.”