“Of the five biggest contracts given out in free agency this year, three went to edge-rushers, with Jaelan Phillips getting the biggest of the lot when the Carolina Panthers gave the 26-year-old a four-year, $120 million contract,” Davenport wrote. “Thirty million a season is a lot to give a player whose career high in sacks (8.5) came as a rookie with the Miami Dolphins in 2021. But the fact that only New York Giants edge-rusher Abdul Carter had fewer sacks last year with more than 50-plus pressures isn’t the only issue with Phillips. His pass-rush win rate last year with the Philadelphia Eagles was under 10 percent, and he has a lengthy injury history—he ruptured his Achilles tendon in 2023 and tore his ACL the following year.”

Phillips’ Free-Agent Contract Made NFL History

The Eagles made a deft move trading with the Miami Dolphins for Phillips right before the NFL trade deadline, and he ended up being the missing piece on a defense that wound up being elite down the stretch.

“Panthers wanted a top rusher, circling on Jaelen Phillips and Odafe Oweh,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on his official X account. “Could still add a top linebacker and/or slot corner.”

Paying $30 million per year for Phillips was probably never in Philadelphia’s plans, and he far exceeded his market projections, with Spotrac predicting a 3-year, $52 million contract. There was little doubt that the number could go much, much higher — some thought as high as $80 million. 

Philllips’ deal with the Panthers ended up being the largest contract for a non-skill player in NFL free-agent history.

Tracking Brutal Injury History for Jaelan Phillips

Even though the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Phillips played all 17 games in 2025, he missed 19 games over the previous 2 seasons due to a torn ACL in 2023 and a torn Achilles tendon in 2024. Those are the type of injuries that put a big question mark on making any sort of deal for him.

“Philly vastly overpaid for Phillips (in the trade), whose sack production has been average since his rookie year,” former NFL scouting director Greg Gabriel wrote on his official X account. “And he’s coming out of contract, so he’s a rental.”

If you know anything about how the Eagles have paid players in recent years, it’s not a leap to think they would be loath to cough up another big contract to a free agent edge rusher who wasn’t a bona fide star.

It’s kind of where all these problems started for the Eagles in the first place. Before the 2024 season, they coughed up a 3-year, $51.1 million contract for free agent edge rusher Bryce Huff and gave the in-house guy, Josh Sweat, a 1-year, $10 million contract.

Huff was traded to the 49ers after 1 disappointing season. Sweat, who led the Eagles in sacks in 2024, signed a 4-year, $76 million free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.