Eagles Fallout After Losing Jaelan Phillips to Panthers

The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly made a serious push to retain Jaelan Phillips before free agency opened up on Monday, but things didn't work out in their favor.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday afternoon that Phillips and the Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms on a four-year, $120 million deal.

"Sources: Jaelan Phillips has agreed to a 4-year, 120M deal with the Carolina Panthers with $80M in guarantees," Schefter wrote.

This comes after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that "significant progress" had been made between the Eagles and Phillips.

"A priority free agent for the Philadelphia Eagles," Rapoport said. "Our understanding is that there has been made significant progress made between the Eagles and Jaelan Phillips toward him returning to Philly. There has been no decision, to my knowledge and there's nothing final, but certainly there is some optimism that there's going to be a deal that he will remain a member of Vic Fangio's defense."

The Eagles lost Jaelan Phillips

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips (50) looks on during warmups prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Monday that the Eagles made a "huge push" to get a deal done with Phillips.

"Philly made a huge push to get Jaelan Phillips back, but the Panthers came in at a whopping $30M per year," Schultz wrote.

With Phillips off the board, the Eagles will need to go back to the drawing board for the pass rush. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday that the Eagles checked in with the Minnesota Vikings on Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard's availability. He's someone who would be a good fit at 28 years old with 38 sacks under his belt in six seasons.

With Phillips off the board, another big-time free agent fit would be Trey Hendrickson after spending the last five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Another intriguing option could be Joey Bosa, who is also a free agent.

At the end of the day, retaining Phillips would've been great. Things didn't work out, though. Now, it's time to regroup and find another high-impact edge rusher to replace him. Arguably, Hendrickson would be the best option, but time will tell.