If not for injuries, Jaelan Phillips may have had his breakout season years ago. As a rookie, he showed immediate promise, logging 42 tackles (nine for loss), 8.5 sacks and 26 pressures.
After a solid 2022 campaign, Phillips missed 22 games between 2023 and 2024 because of injuries, though he bounced back last year, despite some instability. The Miami Dolphins traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the campaign with 53 tackles (seven for loss), five sacks and 35 pressures, one short of his single-season career high.
Based on total contract value, the Carolina Panthers signed Phillips to the biggest deal in free agency, a four-year, $120 million contract. He cashed in on a productive five-year resume and should be the lead edge-rusher in defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defense.
If Phillips stays healthy, he’ll be able to make plays with Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown III eating up space and taking on initial blocks on the interior.
