Former University of Utah star Devin Lloyd, one of the top off-ball linebackers in the NFL, brought in a big payday in his first experience with free agency.
Lloyd reportedly agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with the Carolina Panthers with $25 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport.
Lloyd, a first-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, is coming off a season where he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
He had 81 tackles for the Jaguars and a career-high five interceptions, one of which Lloyd returned for a touchdown, the first defensive touchdown of his pro career.
Lloyd also had six pass deflections, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in helping Jacksonville advance to the wild-card round of the playoffs.
During his four seasons in Jacksonville, Lloyd had 436 tackles to go along with 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 25 pass deflections, nine interceptions, five fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
Going into free agency, Lloyd was viewed as one of the top available talents on the market.
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal had Lloyd as the No. 7 best player available in free agency.
“There aren’t many three-down linebackers in the league right now who can rush the passer. Lloyd just earned second-team All-Pro honors in Year 4, though his improvement actually started in his third season,” Rosenthal wrote.
NFL teams can officially start signing free agents on Wednesday at 2 p.m. MDT, which officially marks the beginning of the new league year.