Panthers spend big
Carolina reshaped its front seven in free agency — Jaelan Phillips inked a 4‑year, $120M deal with $80M guaranteed; Devin Lloyd got 3 years/$45M with $25M guaranteed; and Rasheed Walker signed for 1 year/$10M, signaling an aggressive off‑season revamp CBS Sports.
Jaelan Phillips was traded from Miami to Philadelphia on Nov. 3, 2025 before hitting free agency this March, a move that reshaped his team history. (espn.com) Phillips finished the 2025 season with five sacks and 53 combined tackles across his two-team campaign, per game logs and season totals. (pro-football-reference.com) Devin Lloyd was a first‑round pick (No. 27 overall) in the 2022 draft and closed 2025 with 81 tackles, five interceptions and a 99‑yard pick‑six, production that earned him a Pro Bowl nod and second‑team All‑Pro honors. (jaguars.com) Lloyd’s new deal was reported by multiple outlets as a three‑year agreement with $25 million fully guaranteed at signing, a guarantee figure widely cited in coverage. (espn.com) Rasheed Walker started 48 games over the last three seasons for Green Bay and played all 1,057 offensive snaps at left tackle in 2025, giving Carolina an experienced blind‑side option while Ikem Ekwonu recovers from a ruptured patellar tendon suffered in the wild‑card loss to the Rams. (cbssports.com) Walker entered free agency after the 2022 seventh‑round selection paid off into a multi‑season starter, and the Panthers described the signing as adding veteran stability to the offensive line. (packerswire.usatoday.com) Entering the 2026 league year the Panthers had roughly $25.5 million in top‑51 cap space, according to Spotrac’s latest team financials, a number that framed how Carolina structured guarantees and term during this spending spree. (spotrac.com) Observers and the team’s front office framed the moves as a deliberate defensive overhaul under GM Dan Morgan — a plan he outlined at the combine and that analysts say buys Carolina more flexibility heading into the April draft. (si.com)
