The Panthers signed edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million contract as a free agent last week with the hope that the potential he’s shown through five NFL seasons helps him blossom into one of the league’s top pass rushers.
Phillips’s growth as a player was hampered by the torn Achilles and torn ACL he suffered in back-to-back seasons while playing for the Dolphins, but Phillips showed that he can get to the quarterback upon his return to action in 2025. Phillips ranked 12th in the league with 35 pressures while splitting the season between Miami and Philadelphia, which is right in line with where he was while fully healthy during the 2022 season.
Those pressures only resulted in five sacks, which Phillips knows is not a full measure of how he was able to affect opposing quarterbacks but it’s still a number he’d like to see grow now that he’s settling into a new home.
“The one thing I know about myself is I’m going to get after the quarterback,” Phillips said, via the team’s website. “I’m going to affect him. I’m going to get my hand in his face. I’m going to take the tackle back into him. I think for me, I’m excited about expanding my game and really getting that finishing aspect and turning a lot of the disruption into production.”
If Phillips is able to make that happen, he’ll be a contender for personal accolades and the Panthers defense will be a thornier unit for opponents to deal with as long as he’s in their uniform.
