After a period of roster turnover and struggles developing talent, the Carolina Panthers locked down one of their young stars. Derrick Brown has agreed to a four-year extension worth $96 million with $63.165 million of it guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
This is a massive deal for the former seventh-overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Brown has played well for the Panthers mainly as a force in the running game with a little bit of juice as a pass rusher. He set an NFL record last year for a defensive lineman with 103 tackles.
His contract is now the fourth-highest ever for a defensive tackle. The only players at the position with bigger salaries were all free agents this offseason in Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins and Justin Madubuike.
For a team that is trying to build themselves up from the doldrums of the league, this is a good building block for them.