03-09-2026, 01:22 PM -
Dang...Dan spending some money!
Jaelan Phillips, one of the top edge rushers available in free agency, agreed to a four-year deal worth $120 million with the Carolina Panthers, sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Joe Person.
Phillips was ranked No. 2 in The Athletic’s top-150 free agents and was the second edge rusher behind Trey Henderson.
This is a major investment in Phillips, who turns 27 in May. He was a 2021 first-round pick by the Miami Dolphins, who traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles in November for a third-round pick. He demonstrated with the Eagles what had been apparent at times during the first four years of his career: Phillips is a do-it-all edge rusher with a rare combination of size (6-foot-5, 263 pounds) and athleticism, and he offers the type of versatile skill set that keeps him on the field no matter the situation. He can rush the quarterback, set the edge in the run game, and even drop into coverage.
Although he was not prolific with sacks last season (five in 17 games), he finished fourth in pressure rate among players with at least 250 pass-rush snaps. The Eagles’ defense reached another level after Phillips’ acquisition. His best season might have been 2023, when he had 6.5 sacks in eight games before injury cut the breakout season short.
The knock on Phillips has been his injury history. He had a brief medical retirement at UCLA before transferring to Miami for his final season. In the NFL, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2023 and a torn ACL in 2024. He returned to play 17 games and a postseason game in 2025, quieting some of those concerns. This type of deal shows the confidence that he can continue what he showed with the Eagles last season
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7090485...Id=2919085
Jaelan Phillips, one of the top edge rushers available in free agency, agreed to a four-year deal worth $120 million with the Carolina Panthers, sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Joe Person.
Phillips was ranked No. 2 in The Athletic’s top-150 free agents and was the second edge rusher behind Trey Henderson.
This is a major investment in Phillips, who turns 27 in May. He was a 2021 first-round pick by the Miami Dolphins, who traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles in November for a third-round pick. He demonstrated with the Eagles what had been apparent at times during the first four years of his career: Phillips is a do-it-all edge rusher with a rare combination of size (6-foot-5, 263 pounds) and athleticism, and he offers the type of versatile skill set that keeps him on the field no matter the situation. He can rush the quarterback, set the edge in the run game, and even drop into coverage.
Although he was not prolific with sacks last season (five in 17 games), he finished fourth in pressure rate among players with at least 250 pass-rush snaps. The Eagles’ defense reached another level after Phillips’ acquisition. His best season might have been 2023, when he had 6.5 sacks in eight games before injury cut the breakout season short.
The knock on Phillips has been his injury history. He had a brief medical retirement at UCLA before transferring to Miami for his final season. In the NFL, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2023 and a torn ACL in 2024. He returned to play 17 games and a postseason game in 2025, quieting some of those concerns. This type of deal shows the confidence that he can continue what he showed with the Eagles last season
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7090485...Id=2919085
This post was last modified: 03-09-2026, 01:25 PM by Ladypanther.
