Panthers would be foolish to trade Brian Burns
The NFL's trade deadline is approaching quickly, so naturally, people are sifting through rosters in order to identify potential candidates that could help create some kind of deal. The Athletic recently joined in on the fun and named one potential trade candidate for each team. For the Carolina Panthers, it was none other than star pass-rusher, […]
The NFL's trade deadline is approaching quickly, so naturally, people are sifting through rosters in order to identify potential candidates that could help create some kind of deal.
The Athletic recently joined in on the fun and named one potential trade candidate for each team. For the Carolina Panthers, it was none other than star pass-rusher, Brian Burns.
General manager Scott Fitterer held on to the Pro Bowl edge rusher at the deadline last year, turning down an offer from the Los Angeles Rams that included two first-round picks (2024 and 2025) and a future third. The thinking was an elite edge rusher would be more difficult to replace than a running back or receiver, even ones as talented as McCaffrey and DJ Moore
But after failing to get a long-term deal done with Burns and the Panthers as the NFL’s only winless team, Fitterer might take a different tack. The problem: Given Burns’ unresolved contract situation, the offers don’t figure to match the Rams’ from 2022. – Joe Person, The Athletic
It would be an awful decision to trade Brian Burns
For starters, Person says himself they won't receive offers akin to the one they received in 2022, so that already makes it a bad idea, hypothetically.
Secondly, Burns is having a really good season, so far. He has 4.0 sacks, eight quarterback hits and six tackles for loss through five games. He's also seventh in ESPN's pass rush win rate metric (27%). It's even more impressive when considering the fifth-year player is winning against double-teams at a 23% clip, which is tied for sixth-best among the 20 qualifying EDGE rushers.
Guys like Burns don't come around often. He's a top-10 pass rusher, which is extremely valuable in today's NFL. There is zero guarantee the Panthers find a guy close to his abilities, anytime soon. It's not smart to gamble on that, either.
If Person or the Panthers are worried about the mega contract coming Burns' way, well, that doesn't make much sense, either. The Panthers currently have more than $64 million in 2024 cap space, which is currently 11th-most. They also have a quarterback on a rookie deal – they aren't paying Bryce Young, anytime soon.
Young's contract is the exact catalyst that should allow the Panthers to either retain or bring in top talent. Rookie QB contracts are a big reason why so many teams are willing to take a shot and roll the dice early.
There are way more reasons to keep Burns than to ship him off and the main reason is logic. The Panthers should be looking at extending him and trying to keep him around as long as possible, instead of the opposite.
