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Giants acquire pass rusher Brian Burns from Panthers, sign him to five-year contract extension

nbcnewsla.com March 11, 2024

The New York Giants are trading for star Carolina Panthers linebacker Brian Burns and handing him a five-year contract extension worth up to $150 million, according to multiple reports.

Burns is reportedly heading to New York in exchange for a 2024 second-round NFL Draft pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. He was franchise tagged by the Panthers last week with the expectation that the two parties would seek out a team that would acquire him and give him the long-term contract he sought, as the Giants have now done.

Burns has made his name in the NFL as a pass rusher and will be considered as a defensive end in new Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme. As such, Burns’ new contract makes him the second-highest paid defensive end in the NFL behind San Francisco 49ers star and 2022 NFL defensive player of the year Nick Bosa.

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The 25-year-old Burns has recorded 46 sacks over his five NFL seasons, including 20.5 over the past two years. He made the Pro Bowl in both 2021 and 2022 and has recorded at least 50 tackles in four of his five seasons. Carolina still ranked fourth in total defense last season despite a disaster on the offensive side of the ball, as rookie quarterback Bryce Young struggled mightily and head coach Frank Reich was fired after just 11 games. Burns was a big reason why that defense remained excellent despite the team’s league-worst 2-15 2023 record, and now he will join fellow Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence and former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux to form a ferocious three-man front on the Giants’ defensive line.

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