Giants Restructuring OLB Brian Burns

Yates adds the Giants are converting $10 million of Burns’ base salary into a signing bonus to get far enough under the cap to make the signing of first-round DE Abdul Carter official.

Per Over The Cap, the Giants will save $16,185,000 in cap space in 2025 by restructuring Burns. 

Burns, 27, was drafted by the Panthers No. 16 overall in the first round out of Florida State in 2019. He played out the fourth year of a four-year, $13,540,186 rookie contract that included a $7,867,408 signing bonus.

The Panthers exercised the fifth-year option for Burns for the 2023 season which cost them $16.012 million fully guaranteed. He was traded to the Giants in March 2024 for a 2024 second-round pick, a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. 

New York shortly signed him to a five-year, $141 million extension after the trade was done. 

In 2024, Burns appeared in all 17 games for the Giants and recorded 71 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and eight pass deflections.