Much of Monday’s action has related to the opening of free agency, which will officially take place later this week. Trades – in certain cases – are still very much on the table as a roster-building strategy this time of year.
Should the Panthers elect to trade franchise-tagged edge-rusher Brian Burns, the Giants could be a landing spot. SNY’s Connor Hughes reports a mutual interest exists between Burns and New York on a trade that would be accompanied by a lucrative new deal. The sides have been discussing Burns for a while, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. No deal is final, but it appears this process has legs that could produce finality to a long-running saga. As of Monday afternoon, this process is trending toward a deal, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets. Nothing is final just yet, however.
A recent development pointed to a trade being in play. Carolina paused Burns extension talks — once again, as the sides have been at it for a while off and on — just before franchise-tagging him. A tag had long been in play for the 2019 first-round pick, but trade offers have come in as well.
Teams pursued Burns at each of the past two trade deadlines, but Carolina stood pat. One of the bigger “what if?” trades in recent NFL history transpired in 2022, when the Rams offered two first-rounders and a third for the talented edge rusher. The Panthers declined the offer, and they did not receive any proposals in that ballpark in 2023. Burns playing out his rookie contract will make matters more difficult for the Panthers to obtain comparable value to the Rams blockbuster offer in a trade.
Burns, 25, would obviously bring a major upgrade to the Giants. Big Blue has sought an edge rusher to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux, and the first two years of a Burns contract would align with Thibodeaux’s rookie deal. The Giants can keep the 2022 first-rounder on his rookie pact through 2025, with a fifth-year option decision for 2026. Burns has sought a $30M-per-year deal, however, and the Panthers have been reluctant to authorize it. As Carolina shifts to a new GM and coaching staff, it does seem like a trade is in play now.
While edge rushers are obviously valuable, Burns needing a top-market contract will cut into his trade value. He has not brought the kind of production Khalil Mack did when the Raiders received two first-rounders for the former Defensive Player of the Year. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson offers that teams are hesitant to part with a first-rounder and change for Burns, who has one double-digit sack season on his resume. That said, Burns has 46 career sacks and has never totaled fewer than 7.5 in a season.
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