Derrick Brown had a record setting 2023. The big man in the middle of the Panthers' defense broke the all-time tackle record for defensive linemen. Brown was a mainstay and a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster Panthers season.
2024 is the last season under contract for Derrick Brown before he reaches unrestricted free agency. He is currently 25 years old and entering the prime of his career. Carolina would be wise to extend Brown this offseason and lock down the centerpiece of their defensive line before other teams have a chance to poach him from Charlotte.
With that being said, what is the going rate for a player of his caliber?
Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets set the market for defensive tackles last offseason when he signed a four year, $96 million contract extension. Williams is a two-time Pro Bowler, and was named first team All-Pro in 2022, months before he inked his extension. Williams' average annual value of $24 million is the absolute peak of defensive tackle money.
If Carolina fails to sign Brown to a contract extension in 2024, it is likely that they would franchise tag him next offseason. The projected franchise tag amount (the average of the top ten salaries at the position) for defensive tackles is just below $21 million. I'd expect that Brown would take that number into contract negotiations and demand a long-term salary at, or more likely, above that number.
Brown deserves to be paid like a top ten defensive tackle, and three players who signed deals last offseason should give Carolina an idea of what to pay Derrick Brown.
This past offseason, Jeffery Simmons signed a four year, $94 million deal with Tennessee, Daron Payne signed a four year $90 million deal with Washington, and Dexter Lawrence signed a four year, $87.5 million deal with the New York Giants. Lawrence was named as an NFC Pro Bowl starter this season, ahead of Brown, a key negotiation point for the Panthers.
All three of those players are 25-years-old, the same as Brown, and his contract should look similar to what those three players got.
I'd project Brown to receive an offer at the bottom range of what those three players received last offseason. My projection for Brown's contract is four years, $87 million. Slightly less than what Lawrence received, but still a top ten defensive tackle contract and a long-term deal that would pay him more than the single-season franchise tag.
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