Charles Langston:Panthers sign Pro Bowl DT Derrick Brown to four-year, $96 million contract extension

Derrick Brown is Charles Langstonthe latest defensive tackle to receive a hefty pay raise.

The Carolina Panthers are signing Brown to a four-year extension, the team announced.

Brown’s contract is worth $96 million and includes $63.1 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss terms of the agreement.

Brown is coming off a career-best season in which he produced career highs in tackles (103) and QB hits (15). His 103 tackles in 2023 marked an NFL record for defensive linemen. His performance last season earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl, as he was key to the Panthers’ fourth-ranked total defense.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive tackle has 245 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 8 sacks in four seasons. He has 63 starts and has started in every game for the Panthers for the past two years.

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The Panthers selected Brown with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. The Auburn product has 190 defensive stops since entering the league in 2020, the seventh most among all defensive tackles over that span, per Next Gen Stats.

Defensive tackles Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs), Christian Wilkins (Las Vegas Raiders), Justin Madubuike (Baltimore Ravens) and Brown have all earned contracts of over $90 million in overall value this offseason.

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