Jaelan Phillips is heading to the Carolina Panthers instead of re-signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Phillips has agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers that includes $80 million in guarantees, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Just days ago, there was significant progress made between the Eagles and Phillips toward him returning to Philly, with some optimism that he would remain a member of Vic Fangio's defense. But the numbers ultimately favored Carolina's offer. The Eagles had hoped to re-sign Phillips who was ranked by ESPN as the No. 3 available free agent in the NFL. At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Howie Roseman had expressed that it was a priority to re-sign Phillips. Now the Eagles need to find new pass-rushing options with Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt being the only two 2025 active-roster players at the position under contract in 2026.
Phillips joined the Eagles at the trade deadline from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. In his time with Philadelphia, he led the Eagles with 34 pressures in his eight regular season games, according to Next Gen Stats. However, Phillips turned just two of them into sacks, good for a 5.9% pressure-to-sack conversion rate. Despite the modest sack total, his contract with Carolina reflects that he's being paid on potential, and for the 2025 NFC South champion Panthers, such compensation was necessary to convince Phillips to consider a home outside of Philadelphia.