Since the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles first squared off in 1960, there have been countless ugly incidents between these bitter rivals. And during the 2025 regular-season opener on Thursday night, it didn't take long at all for another to be added to the list.
Just six seconds into this NFC East clash between America's Team and the defending Super Bowl champs, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
The question now becomes whether Carter will be suspended by the NFL for his actions, and the answer is probably not. When you think about it, the third-year pro already served a de facto one-game suspension, as he was tossed before a single play from scrimmage ever took place.
Cowboys fans shouldn't get their hopes up about Jalen Carter getting suspended for spitting on Dak Prescott
But while Carter will likely receive a hefty fine, history says he'll be on the field for the Eagles' Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, as there's no precedent for a player being suspended for spitting.
In January 2006, the late Sean Taylor, then playing for Washington, was ejected during a wild-card playoff matchup for spitting on Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Michael Pittman. Taylor was ultimately fined $17,000 but wasn't suspended.
In December 2006, during his first season with the Cowboys, Terrell Owens spat on Atlanta Falcons' cornerback DeAngelo Hall during a Week 15 matchup at the Georgia Dome. T.O. received a $35,000 fine but wasn't suspended. In fact, he wasn't even ejected, as officials didn't even see the incident, as it wasn't revealed until the game had concluded.
More recently, in December 2020, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters spat on Cleveland Browns wideout Jarvis Landry during a Monday Night Football matchup between the two AFC North rivals. Peters was fined $12,500 but wasn't suspended.
So, again, there's no precedent for a suspension for spitting, and one would assume Carter will receive a fine and get back to work. That said, however, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has reported that a source told him that "the most talked-about topic of the offseason with clubs and players was 'respect for the opponent'".
Carter's actions were obviously the exact opposite of that, so perhaps the NFL will get a little more harsh with him to set an example, especially after Prescott's explanation of what went down.
"He was trolling, I guess you could say, trying to mess with Tyler Booker ... I guess I needed to spit, and I wasn't going to spit on my lineman, and I just spit ahead. I would say he (Carter) was back there, and he goes, 'Are you trying to spit on me?' At that point, I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn't spit on somebody. We're about to play a game. I'm wondering why you're trying to mess with a rookie, and so when I stepped through, I actually say the words like, 'What would I need to spit on you for?' He just spit on me in the moment, and it was more of a surprise than anything."
We now just have to wait and see what happens next.