Once the legal tampering period began and the Eagles still didn’t have Jaelan Phillips under contract, this became a likely outcome.

Jaelan Phillips isn’t coming back.

The Carolina Panthers on Monday signed the veteran edge rusher to a four-year, $120 million contract less than an hour after the legal tampering period began, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. The Eagles acquired Phillips from the Dolphins for a 3rd-round pick this past November.

With his $30 million average annual salary, Phillips becomes the 7th-highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL.

Reports said the Eagles were optimistic over the weekend that they were closing in on a deal to keep Phillips, but less than an hour after he hit free agency and they no longer owned his exclusive negotiating rights he became a Carolina Panther.

It’s hard to imagine the Eagles going anywhere near a $30 million average for a guy who’s averaged 5 ½ sacks per season when they already have Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith on the roster.

Hunt, their 3rd-round pick in 2024, had 6 1/2 sacks last year in his first year as a full-time player. Smith set a franchise postseason record with 4.0 sacks in the 2024 playoffs and had 10 1/2 sacks in his last 16 games in 2024 before struggling with injuries last year. 

Hunt is signed through 2027 and Smith is signed through 2026, although the Eagles an exercise his 5th-year option to keep him through 2027.

Along with Dallas Goedert, Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship, Phillips was one of a handful of key free agents the Eagles were in danger of losing once the legal tampering period began at noon Monday.

Phillips, just 26, has 28.0 sacks in five seasons since the Dolphins made him the 18th player taken in the 2021 draft. He had 22 sacks in his first three seasons but just six in the last two.

In eight games with the Eagles last year, Phillips had two sacks, 28 tackles, seven quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

“He’s given us a jumpstart in our pass rush,” Vic Fangio said of Phillips the week leading up to the playoffs. “He’s applied a lot of pressure and allowed others to get some sacks. He’s given us some strong play on the edge (and) he’s brought a level of enthusiasm and happiness to be here that I think has been contagious.”

Phillips said coming to the Eagles from the lowly Dolphins really rejuvenated his career.

“It’s just awesome, man,” he said in November. “The guys are awesome. Everybody has been super welcoming. I love the environment here, I love the vibe here. The city of Philly has given me a very warm welcome. I got about 20 times the amount of Instagram likes that I ever got on a post before from the Philly fans, so shout out to y’all. It’s been great so far, getting out there practicing. I love the weather here, I love the locker room, everything’s awesome.”

On locker cleanout day, he reiterated his desire to stay with the Eagles and felt a deal was realistic.

“I would love to be here,” he said. “But we just have to see what happens. I don’t have any experience with free agency or anything like that, so we’ll just have to see how everything works out. But I have a lot of faith in this team, and we’d love to be here.

“I do think it’s a realistic possibility. I know the organization wants me here, and I definitely want to be here, so we’ll try to make things work out.”