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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Doug Farrar

Giants trade with Panthers for edge-rusher Brian Burns, who gets massive new contract

16 months ago, the Los Angeles Rams offered two first-round picks (2024, 2025) and a second-round pick (2023) to the Carolina Panthers for the services of edge-rusher Brian Burns, and the Panthers turned the Rams down.

Now, the Panthers have traded Burns to the New York Giants for second- and fifth-round picks, and they’re off the hook for Burns’ new contract. That’s up to the Giants, who — per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network — will give Burns a new five-year deal worth up to $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed.

As they say, timing is everything.

For the Panthers, it’s just more picks and more cap space free for new general manager Dan Morgan as the franchise keeps up the rebuilding process. For the Giants, it’s the opportunity to put Burns on the other side of edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, with nose tackle super-destroyer Dexter Lawrence in the middle. Which isn’t bad at all.

Last season, Burns had nine sacks and 40 total pressures, which was actually a bit of a down year for him — the 2019 16th overall pick out of Florida State had 13 sacks and 68 pressures in a career-best 2022 season. But Burns still has that ferocious acceleration to the quarterback, he can put speed-to-power moves together quite estimably, and he has a full array of techniques to get to the quarterback.

Given Burns’ relative limitations in the run game, this might be a bit of an overpay, but if it all works out, the Giants have created an impossible question to answer: Who on that defensive line do you double-team?

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