Panthers sign Pro Bowl Ex-Super Star Player To Four-Year, $96 Million Contract Extension On The Ground Of…
The Carolina Panthers are making sure Derrick Brown is a foundation of their defense for years to come.
On Friday, the team agreed to a four-year contract extension with the defensive tackle. The new contract is worth $96 million, with $63.2 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Brown, who turns 26 in April, was the Panthers’ 2020 first-round selection out of Auburn. He’s been a reliable center of Carolina’s defense, playing 66 of 67 games (and starting 63) during his four-year NFL career.
Last season was Brown’s best, compiling 103 total tackles – a single-season record for a defensive lineman – with seven tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits. That performance resulted in Brown being named to his first Pro Bowl.
“Probably the most impressive thing that he does for a man that big, 340-plus pounds, to run down the field, play hard every down,” defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said on the Panthers’ website. “He’s making plays 40 yards down the field.”
“What you see in him is just continued growth and maturation and learning the NFL game, understanding, not only using his physical ability, but also all the nuances of the game that come with experience, and all of that is just playing out,” he added. “Even before I took this job, I knew what a player he was and his reputation in the league is a guy that is hard to block. That’s been happening for a couple of years now.”
The $24 million average annual salary for Brown is now the fourth-highest among NFL defensive tackles. Only the Chiefs’ Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins of the Raiders and the Ravens’ Justin Madubuike earn more per year at the position.
Brown was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, as the Panthers picked up his fifth-year option last May. But with a new coaching staff led by head coach Dave Canales in place, the team ensured that a defensive anchor is in place for multiple seasons.
The Browns have shown some interest in a potential developmental quarterback.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Cleveland hosted former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton for a pre-draft visit this week.
Milton, 24, spent 2018-2020 at Michigan before transferring to Tennessee in 2021. He threw for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions for the Volunteers in 2023.
While Milton is considered a Day 3 prospect, he undoubtedly has impressive arm strength. He displayed that during the scouting combine, when he uncorked a 70-yard pass during on-field drills.
Aside from starter Deshaun Watson, the Browns have Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson on their roster at quarterback.
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Panthers, DT Derrick Brown agree to reported 4-year, $96M contract…
The Carolina Panthers and record-setting defensive tackle Derrick Brown agreed to a multi-year contract extension.
The team announced the extension on Friday but not the financial terms. Multiple reports put the value of the four-year deal at $96 million, with $63 million guaranteed.
Among interior defensive linemen, Brown’s annual average salary of $24 million trails that of only Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs, Christian Wilkins of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Madubuke, per Spotrac.
Brown, who turns 26 later this month, set the NFL record last season for most tackles by a defensive lineman with 103. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl and Carolina’s new head coach, Dave Canales, retained defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Brown has appeared in 66 games (63 starts) over four seasons. He has tallied 245 tackles, 48 quarterback hits, eight sacks and two interceptions.
Brown will be counted on to lead the improvement on defense for the Panthers, who finished 2-15 last season.
The team begins its offseason program next week.
The Buffalo Bills are the most fascinating story of the NFL offseason. Ever since Josh Allen ascended to the tier level of NFL quarterbacks in 2020, the team has headed into the season with Super Bowl expectations … and then fallen bitterly short.
Windows in the NFL are never as long as teams hope. Injuries mount up. The cap bites. A botched free agent signing or a coaching snafu can be the difference between winning it all and exiting the playoffs early. Since 2021, the Bills have experienced it all, from the painful to the bizarre:
This offseason has brought a mini-reboot. Gone are stalwarts of the team’s recent success. Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer, Gabe Davis, Mitch Morse, Tyrel Dodson and Leonard Floyd were all allowed to walk in free agency. On Monday, they traded away Stefon Diggs to the Texans for a future second-round pick. And the trade is an oddity: a win-win. The Bills were able to unload an ageing player on an expensive contract and recoup a high pick. The Texans add a talented veteran to a young core.
By unloading veterans and choosing not to replace them in free agency, the Bills are betting on the idea that Allen is the only player who truly matters to keep their title hopes on track. “You have to have a franchise quarterback to be a consistent contender … I don’t think our window is closing,” GM Brandon Beane told ESPN last week. “There’s changes, salary changes, draft changes. All the things as you evolve your roster. It all still builds around the quarterback.”
Through that prism, moving Diggs makes sense. Diggs regressed last season. There had been tensions simmering between the receiver, organization and Allen dating back to last year’s training camp. His performance dipped drastically over the second half of last season, in part due to the Bills switching out coordinators. In the playoffs, he’s become a non-factor. Diggs has not caught a touchdown pass in his last seven playoff games and has failed to top 60 yards in his six postseason appearances, averaging just six yards a target.
In Houston, Diggs will lineup on an offense with three top-30 receivers and CJ Stroud, one of the league’s emerging stars, at quarterback. With their offseason moves, the Texans have vaulted into the Bengals and Ravens class of contenders.
Things are murkier in Buffalo. The Bills have signed or acquired just three new starters so far this offseason and only one on offense. The Ravens have added six new projected starters. The Bengals have added five. The Dolphins, seven. The Texans, eight.