Nine highest paid linebackers in NFL free agency

Jaelan Phillips (YouTube)

It is a very interesting time of year for the National Football League. Even though there are no games, free agency is now in full swing. Here are the nine richest linebackers who have switched teams.

Jaelan Phillips

The Carolina Panthers have signed Jaelan Phillips of Redlands, California to a four-year contract worth $120 million. Phillips is joining his third NFL team after five full seasons with the Miami Dolphins and spending last season with the Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. In 2025, he had 53 combined tackles (29 solo tackles and 24 assisted tackles), 14 quarterback hits, seven tackles for a loss, four pass deflections, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries for four yards and five sacks. The first fumble recovery came in a 27-21 Dolphins win over the New York Jets on September 29. The second fumble recovery came in a 10-7 Eagles win over the Green Bay Packers on November 10, and the forced fumble came in a 13-12 Eagles win over the Buffalo Bills on December 28.

Devin Lloyd

The Carolina Panthers signed the native of Kansas City, Missouri to a three-year deal worth $45 million. In the last four seasons, Lloyd has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Jaguars in 2025, Lloyd played in 15 games and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He had 81 combined tackles (46 assisted tackles and 35 solo tackles), six tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback hits, five interceptions for 135 yards, one pick six, seven pass deflections, one fumble recovery for two yards and 1.5 sacks. The fumble recovery came in a 17-10 Jaguars win over the Houston Texans on September 21.  The interception return for a touchdown was for 99 yards and came in a 31-28 Jaguars win over the Kansas City Chiefs on October 6. The sack and a half came in a 27-24 Jaguars win over the Arizona Cardinals on November 23.

Bradley Chubb

The Buffalo Bills have signed the native of Marietta, Georgia to a three-year contract worth $43.5 million. He has played five seasons with the Denver Broncos (2018 to 2022), and three seasons with the Miami Dolphins (2022, 2023, and 2025). Last season in Miami, Chubb had 47 combined tackles (24 solo tackles and 23 assisted tackles), 20 quarterback hits, eight tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery for two yards.

Quay Walker

The Las Vegas Raiders signed the native of Cordele, Georgia to a three-year deal worth $40 million. He has played the last four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. In 2025, Walker had 128 combined tackles (70 assisted tackles and 58 solo tackles), eight tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hits, five pass deflections and two and a half sacks.

Nakobe Dean

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed Nakobe Dean of Horn Lake, Mississippi to a three-year deal worth $36 million. For the last four seasons, Dean was with the Eagles and won a Super Bowl in 2025. This past season, Dean had 55 combined tackles (30 solo tackles and 25 assisted tackles), seven tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection.

Tremaine Edmunds

The New York Giants have signed Tremaine Edmunds of Danville, Virginia to a three-year deal worth $36 million. Edmunds is joining his third NFL franchise after five seasons with the Buffalo Bills (2018 to 2022), and the last three seasons with the Chicago Bears (2023 to 2025). With the Bills, Edmunds was selected to the Pro Bowl twice (2019 and 2020). With the Bears this past season, Edmunds had 112 combined tackles (61 solo tackles and 51 assisted tackles), three tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits, four interceptions for 10 yards, nine pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one sack. The sack came in a 26-14 Bears win over the New Orleans Saints on October 19, and the fumble recovery came in a 22-16 Bears win over the Green Bay Packers on December 20.

Kaden Elliss

The New Orleans Saints have signed the native of Salt Lake City, Utah to a three-year contract worth $33 million. He is returning to the Saints after playing four seasons with them from 2019 to 2022. Over the last three seasons, Elliss has played with the Atlanta Falcons. He had 107 combined tackles (59 solo tackles and 48 assisted tackles), 10 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback hits, one interception for 16 yards, one forced fumble, 3.5 sacks and six pass deflections. The forced fumble came in a 24-14 Falcons win over the Buffalo Bills on October 13.

Demario Davis

The native of Collins, Mississippi signed a two-year contract worth $22 million with the New York Jets. Davis originally played for the Jets from 2012 to 2015 and again in 2017. Davis was also with the Cleveland Browns in 2016, and the last eight seasons with the New Orleans Saints since 2018. In 2022 and 2023, Davis was selected to the Pro Bowl. In 2025 with the Saints, Davis had 143 combined tackles (64 solo tackles and 79 assisted tackles), six tackles for a loss, two quarterback hits, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and half a sack.

Devin Bush Jr.

The native of Pembroke Pines, Florida signed a three-year contract worth $30 million with the Chicago Bears. Bush Jr. is joining his fourth NFL franchise after four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2019 to 2022), one season with the Seattle Seahawks (2023). and the last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns (2024 and 2025). A prior prospect, Bush Jr. had 125 combined tackles in 2025. He had 63 solo tackles, 62 assisted tackles, seven tackles for a loss, four quarterback hots, three interceptions for a NFL high 164 yards, two pick sixes, eight pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two sacks and one fumble recovery. The forced fumbles came in Browns wins. The first came on September 21 in a 13-10 Browns win over the Green Bay Packers and the second came on December 28 in a 13-6 Browns win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.