The Carolina Panthers nearly landed defensive tackle Milton Williams in free agency from the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason before watching him go to the New England Patriots at the last minute. This offseason, the Panthers decided they wouldn’t be denied from landing a standout on the Eagles’ defensive line again.
Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips has agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal with the Panthers, ESPN reported Monday. The deal will reportedly include $80 million in guaranteed money.
Phillips had five sacks last season, spending the first nine games with the Miami Dolphins before getting traded to the Eagles in November. But he was better than what his sack numbers suggest. He had an impressive 73 pressures this past season, which ranked ninth among all edge rushers, per PFF. Forty-one of those came in his eight games with Philadelphia, proving to be a good fit in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system after Philadelphia surrendered a third-round pick to get him.
Phillips was the third-highest-ranked edge rusher in our top 100 free agents list. He was also the 10th-highest-ranked overall player in the ranking.
Here’s what our Greg Auman had to say about Phillips’ free agency.
“Phillips, 26, got traded at the deadline when the Dolphins decided they weren’t going to be able to keep him, but it was an underwhelming 2025 — two sacks in eight games with the Eagles after three sacks in nine games with the Dolphins,” Auman wrote. “He’s had injury concerns in the past and has 28 total sacks in five NFL seasons, peaking with 8.5 as a rookie in 2021. Phillips’ pressure rates were solid and he’s drawn praise from Vic Fangio.”
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