The Carolina Panthers made a major splash early in free agency by signing former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million deal with $80 million guaranteed.
The move has some serious upside, but it isn’t without risk given Phillips’ injury history.
Signing Jaelan Phillips to a huge deal was a major risk for Carolina
As a result, Carolina’s addition of Phillips was named as one of free agency’s biggest risks by Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report.
From Gagnon:
"Injuries cost Phillips the vast majority of 2023 and 2024 before the Dolphins bailed, and he was limited to just two sacks in eight games with the Eagles as a rental in 2026. Can he reach the next level? Can he even stay healthy? Regardless, he's now just the 12th defensive player in the $30 million AAV club."
This is an especially interesting signing because it could go either way. Phillips is still just 26 years old and has shown some real flashes over the course of his career to this point, but consistency has been an issue, due in large part to injury issues.
Phillips looked good in his half-season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025, but the defense as a whole was solid under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, so it's tough to tell if Phillips was just a product of his environment.
There will be much more pressure on Phillips to perform in Carolina given the sheer size of the contract that he was handed. Let's see how he handles it.
More NFL news: