The Miami Dolphins had an opportunity to trade several players at the 2025 trade deadline. Shortly after Chris Grier left the team, the responsibility was left to interim GM Champ Kelly.
With offers for Bradley Chubb, Jaylen Waddle, and De'Von Achane on the table, the only player that left Miami was defensive end and linebacker Jaelan Phillips. The Dolphins were never going to afford another contract for their former first-round pick. The trade made sense.
As free agency began, most believed that the Eagles were keeping the guy they made the move for. That wasn't the case, as Philadelphia couldn't get to the number the Carolina Panthers were offering.
Sources: Jaelan Phillips has agreed to a 4 year, 120M deal with the Carolina Panthers with $80M in guarantees.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2026
Miami Dolphins were smart to get trade value for Jaelan Phillips after new contract details are revealed
The contract is shockingly high for a player who has had as many season-ending injuries as Phillips has had over his career. The Dolphins were smart to make the moves last season and get something in return.
The Dolphins received a 2026 third-round draft pick in return for Phillips. As great as it was to have Phillips around, the decision to move away from him was smart. Hopefully, the Panthers never suffer through what the Dolphins did with him.
$80 million guaranteed alone is a lot of money for Phillips. The four-years was expected. The Eagles were rumored to be hovering around the $114 million range. The fact that teams are willing to pay Phillips this much money is an increasing league-wide problem. Phillips is good, but he has never produced numbers to warrant this much compensation.
Phillips has a lot of potential, but the problem for the Dolphins has been the fact that he hasn't been able to stay healthy. That offsets his potential and stunted his growth as a pass-rusher. In 2023, he suffered an Achilles injury, and in 2024, an ACL injury, which sidelined him again.
Last season, Phillips was able to complete his third full NFL season. The Panthers are hoping this continues, and they believe, based on the contract, that he will remain healthy.
Carolina is taking a big chance with this contract, and not just because of the numbers. In his career so far, Phillips' best season was in 2021, his rookie year. He posted 8.5 sacks that year. In 2022, he posted another seven.
Everything began to fall apart in 2023. Phillips was inactive for three of the Dolphins' first five games due to injury. In eight games, he still had six sacks, including one against the Jets in his final game of the season.
Miami would have loved to have retained Phillips, but given their salary cap status, the departure of Chris Grier, and the uncertainty surrounding Mike McDaniel at the time, it made more sense to move on.
In hindsight, the Dolphins should have done the same with Chubb as well.