When asked whether the momentum around the Carolina Panthers is helping attract free agents, Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown didn’t give the answer fans expected.
Instead of talking about the culture or the trajectory, he said what players actually say behind closed doors: “It still comes down to money.”
Brown added that having guys who want to be here is beneficial. But he didn’t pretend the Panthers suddenly became a free agent destination because of momentum. That honesty explains why this has been the most important offseason in years for Carolina.
Derrick Brown outlined what Carolina Panthers fans forgot about free agency splashes
For the first time in a long time, Carolina isn’t trying to sell free agents on hope. They’re winning on the business side of free agency. General manager Dan Morgan said the pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2025 was “not acceptable.” He signed Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million contract with $80 million guaranteed.
Phillips ranked ninth in the NFL in pressures last season. In a front that already includes Brown, that’s a big move.
Linebacker Devin Lloyd also agreed to join the club. Now pair him with Phillips, Brown, Jaycee Horn, and a defense coordinated by Ejiro Evero, and you’re showing everyone what a contending project looks like.
The Panthers also signed Rasheed Walker, Luke Fortner, and Stone Forsythe to one-year deals. That’s a team staring at the reality that Ikem Ekwonu might miss most of 2026 with a ruptured patellar tendon and deciding they are not letting Bryce Young pay the price for it.
The decision to sign Kenny Pickett over keeping Andy Dalton wasn’t about vibes, either. Morgan said he wanted to develop a younger backup. So he paid $7.5 million for one.
Brown is the first franchise cornerstone player Morgan extended, signing him to a four-year, $96 million deal. That's top of market defensive tackle money. The Panthers didn’t ask him to buy into culture at a discount. They paid him.
So when Brown says free agency comes down to money, he’s simply describing the standard Morgan has set inside the building: If you perform here, you get paid here. If we need help, we’ll pay to fix it.
That’s how you go from a franchise stuck in rebuild cycles to one coming off a playoff appearance with legitimate expectations.
The bottom line is this: The Panthers didn’t become attractive to free agents because of what they say they’re building. They became attractive because they proved they’re willing to pay for what they’re building.
Add us as a preferred source on Google