Jaelan Phillips, Panthers reportedly agree 4-year, $120 million contract in free agency

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The Dolphins traded Phillips to the Eagles ahead of last year's deadline. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Emilee Chinn via Getty Images

Star defensive end Jaelen Phillips has reportedly agreed to terms on a 4-year, $120 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday.

Sources: Jaelan Phillips has agreed to a 4 year, 120M deal with the Carolina Panthers with $80M in guarantees.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2026

Phillips was regarded as one of the top defenders available in this year's free agency class, entering his sixth NFL season.

Phillips was selected by the Dolphins 18th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Miami, where he amassed 26.0 sacks, 177 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 61 quarterback hits over 55 games played before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of last year's trade deadline.

The Eagles sent the Dolphins a 2026 third-round pick for the pass rusher and quickly saw its defense take a massive leap forward in the second half of the season. After allowing 23.1 points per game prior to the trade, Philadelphia was the league's No. 1 scoring defense from Week 10 onward, giving up just 15.6 points per game.


Phillips has dealt with some major injuries throughout his career, including a torn Achilles in 2023 and a torn ACL in 2024. Despite that, he didn't miss a single game in 2025, logging 63 total pressures that ranked 11th in the league, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

This breaking news story will be updated.

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