Jaelan Phillips Signs With Carolina Panthers: Four-Year, $120M Deal Makes Eagles' Loss Carolina's Gain
Jaelan Phillips is heading to Charlotte. The 26-year-old edge rusher agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract with the Carolina Panthers on Monday, March 9, dealing a significant blow to the Philadelphia Eagles just hours into the 2026 NFL free agency period.
Jaelan Phillips Contract Details: $80 Million Guaranteed With Carolina Panthers
Jaelan Phillips agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers that includes $80 million in guarantees, confirmed by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
At $30 million per year, the Jaelan Phillips contract puts him among the top eight highest-paid edge rushers on an annual basis in the NFL. At 27 years old, the Panthers are getting Phillips in the prime of his career at a position of critical need.
Despite the Eagles reportedly making a strong push to keep him in Philadelphia, the $120 million price tag proved too steep for general manager Howie Roseman to match inside the Eagles' salary cap structure.
Why the Carolina Panthers Targeted Jaelan Phillips in NFL Free Agency
The Panthers are betting on Phillips continuing to produce as he did in Philadelphia while remaining healthy. Carolina is aiming to dramatically improve a defense that ranked last in the NFL in pressure rate at 26.2% during the 2025 season.
Phillips ranked in the 92nd percentile in pressure rate among all edge rushers last season. The former Dolphin and Eagle has never had a double-digit sack season but clearly makes an impact well beyond sack totals alone.
His 73 total pressures ranked ninth among all edge rushers in 2025. Forty-one of those pressures came in just eight games after his trade to Philadelphia, making his per-game production even more remarkable in the second half of the season.
Jaelan Phillips' Journey From Dolphins to Eagles to Panthers
The Eagles acquired Phillips from the Miami Dolphins at the November trade deadline for a 2026 third-round draft pick. Phillips called landing in Philadelphia "literally the greatest thing that has happened to me in my whole life, probably," noting how welcoming everyone was and how much he loved the environment.
He appeared in eight regular-season games with the Eagles and finished with two sacks, seven quarterback hits, a forced fumble and four passes defended, helping solidify one of the top defenses in the NFL in 2025.
Phillips fit naturally into defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme in Philadelphia, having played under Fangio earlier during his time with the Miami Dolphins in 2023.
Injury History and Health Questions Surround Jaelan Phillips Panthers Deal
Phillips had only five combined sacks last season split between the Dolphins and Eagles. Injuries have been the persistent concern throughout his career — a torn ACL in 2023 and a torn Achilles tendon in 2024 cost him 19 games across two seasons before a healthy return in 2025.
Critically, Phillips played all 17 games in 2025, a milestone that gave the Panthers the confidence to commit $80 million in fully guaranteed money to the pass rusher heading into 2026.
Philadelphia Eagles Face Urgent Edge Rusher Need After Losing Jaelan Phillips
The Eagles now face an urgent need at edge rusher following the Jaelan Phillips departure. Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt are the only two edge rushers from the 2025 active roster currently under contract for 2026.
The Eagles are projected to receive a 2027 third-round compensatory pick for losing Jaelan Phillips in free agency, though that projection disappears if Philadelphia actively signs external free agents to offset the loss during this free agency period.
