💸 Carter gets paid | Sports Daily Newsletter

Before hitting the field today for training camp, the Eagles decided to lock in a new contract with their star defensive tackle.

Jalen Carter agreed to a four-year extension on Tuesday worth $152 million, with $106 million guaranteed. The $38 million average annual value makes the 25-year-old the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history.

By extending him now, the Eagles are preventing Carter, who was heading into the fourth year of his rookie deal, from testing the market as a free agent anytime soon — smart move.

Now, with one of the major long-term roster mysteries behind us, let’s look at some potential positional battles as training camp gets underway.

The backup quarterback seems to be unclear, and while we know DeVonta Smith is WR1, who will be behind him on the dept chart? Plus, there could be some competition in the secondary.

Most of the starting jobs are spoken for, but this training camp still has its share of roster spots to fight for. Jeff Neiburg takes a closer look at six of them.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The magic in Year 2

It almost seems fitting that LeBron James signed a two-year contract with the Sixers. He’s coming to Philly with the intention to win an NBA championship, and at his three previous stops, he’s reached the NBA mountaintop in that second season.

There’s some athletes — like James — whose arrival to the city has stunned us all simply by coming here. Matt Breen compiled a list of 10 players who made you stop in your tracks and feel like you won a championship.

This street artist certainly felt that way after finding out that James would end his NBA career here. He then got to work.

In other news, the Sixers are trading Johni Broome and a second-round pick to the Clippers to officially sign veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

What we’re …

🏈 Learning: Matt Campbell addressed several questions as he prepares for his first season at Penn State.

🤔 Wondering: Why Doug Pederson is joining CBS to call 10 college football games while still hoping to return to the NFL.

🎉 Celebrating: HBCU football will return to Lincoln Financial Field with a pair of games on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.

📖 Reading: About this Delco man who sunburned LeBron James’ jersey on his back, calling it an act of “Philly toughness.”

Lefty reliever needs

If the Phillies are going to win a World Series, they’ll likely have to go through the Dodgers. And Los Angeles gets considerably more production from the left side of the plate than the right.

While the Phillies have star power in lefty starters Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo, their best lefty reliever is José Alvarado, who entered Tuesday with a 6.00 ERA despite allowing only one run in his last seven appearances.

To keep it short, the Phillies need to find a lefty reliever at the trade deadline.

After another loss on Tuesday, Bryce Harper was candid about how he views the team ahead of Monday’s deadline.

Before Tuesday’s game against the Marlins, Kyle Schwarber was out of lineup with an illness. Interim manager Don Mattingly also spoke about Zack Wheeler, who lasted just three innings on Monday.

David Murphy’s take

On a recent podcast, Draymond Green said, “If I’m VJ Edgecombe’s agent, I’m not sure I’m happy with the summer that the 76ers have had. Like, you go from being sometimes the second option when Embiid was out to sometimes being the fifth option. It’s a big, big difference.”

Sure, it could be a drawback if Edgecombe always gets last dibs on spots. I’m just not sure I agree with Green that LeBron James compounds the potential issue. I actually think he could prove to be a Godsend for Edgecombe, writes David Murphy.

What you’re saying about LeBron James’ commute

We asked: Would you have an issue if LeBron commuted from New York to Philly and didn’t live in the area full-time? Among your responses:

Yes. If it was good enough for Ben Franklin and Rocky, it’s good enough for LeBron. — Tom O.

No problem at all. He can live wherever he wants. — Richard V.

Why not?? Seems pretty inconvenient and helicopters do get grounded for weather — Bill M.

Location is immaterial. What matters is his play and does he help fulfill the dream of an NBA championship for the city. Frankly, many players of all our teams don’t reside in the city proper. NJ and the Philadelphia suburbs are choices for many of our athletes. I don’t live in the city yet I am a loyal fan. Enough said. — Gary G.

It’s not just flying in on game day. It’s flying in most everyday for practice and game days. Most games are in the evenings. Usually over 10-10:30. Post game interviews, showers, etc. You’re in the chopper by midnight and home by 1 a.m. That routine will get old real quick. Plus there’s always Kobe to think about. Wind up with an inexperienced pilot and poof. There are some knocked out gorgeous estates in South Jersey as well as the Philly suburbs. — Ronald R.

Laughing. Of course not. As long as LeBron plays basketball at a level that meets what he is being paid I could care less where he lives. Hey, I am a Philly sports fan and Sports Daily fan and I live 2300 miles away in Prescott AZ. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, David Murphy, Gina Mizell, Matt Breen, Gabriela Carroll, Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Devin Jackson, Lauren Jones, and Conor Smith.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

As always, thanks for reading. Hope you have yourself a wonderful Wednesday and stay dry. We’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow. — Bella