Panthers agree four-year, $96-million extension with DT Derrick Brown

The Carolina Panthers and their defensive tackle Derrick Brown have agreed on a four-year contract extension, the team announced on Friday. According to ESPN, the deal is worth $96 million, which includes a $63 million guarantee for Brown.

Brown's $24 million per year is the National Football League's (NFL's) fourth-highest in his position, behind only Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs, Christian Wilkins of the Las Vegas Raiders and Justin Madubuike of the Baltimore Ravens.

All four players signed extensions during the off season. Brown was the only one who didn't do so as a free agent.

Having been drafted by the Panthers as the seventh-overall pick in 2020, Brown became an elite defender in the past two seasons. First, he posted 67 tackles, a franchise record by a lineman, in 2022. Then he lifted that number to 103 in the 2023 campaign, during which time he made his Pro Bowl debut. He also tallied a total of eight sacks in four seasons.

According to ESPN, Brown played 89 percent of the Panthers' snaps, with a league-leading run-stop win rate of 47 percent last season. As the team won only two of their 17 games in the 2023 campaign, it's important for them to keep such a key member of their defensive group.

When the Panthers made a poorly calculated trade with the Chicago Bears last year by giving up their 2024 number one draft pick, the Bears expressed interest in acquiring Brown, linebacker Brian Burns and wide receiver D.J. Moore. The Panthers refused to let Brown or Burns go because the team attached great importance to them.

Nonetheless, Burns left for the New York Giants in the offseason after failing to reach a long-term extension with the Panthers. He was traded away by the new general manager Dan Morgan. They also hired Dave Canales, former offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the new head coach.