The Carolina Panthers started their offseason program on Monday, and Derrick Brown is looking forward to being with the team for a long time. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle got a four-year, $96 million contract extension last week and is eager to help the Panthers become a contender.
“You know, it’s an awesome feeling, because I feel like the organization believes in me and allows me to do what I do,” he told the Panthers’ official website. “Never put too much pressure on me, always have high expectations of me, but allow me to be who I am while doing what I do, right?
“I believe there is no pressure, just great expectations. So that is what our coaches demand of us, and you must use that voice to be the highest voice. And it enables me to go out and not listen to too many people or let anyone else’s misery impact me, but rather to come into a room, sit down, and discuss, and then know exactly what our game plan for the week is. Hearing you talk about it and knowing exactly what they have planned for the week.”
Derrick Brown is a ‘heck of a player’
Brown had a standout career at Auburn and was taken seventh overall in the 2020 NFL draft by the Panthers. Brown finished his debut season with 34 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and two sacks. He had a career season in 2023, recording 103 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and six passes defensed.
“He’s really, really a heck of a player,” Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said. “What you see in him is simply ongoing growth and maturing and learning the NFL game, understanding not just his physical ability, but also all the nuances of the game that come with experience, and all of that is just playing out. Even before I got this job, I understood what a player he was, and his reputation in the league as someone who is difficult to block. That has been happening for a few years now.”
Now that Brown has his contract extension, the Panthers will work to get back in the playoff picture. The team has not been in the playoffs or had a winning season in 2017 and finished the 2023 season with a 2-15 record.
