The Panthers Completely Botched the Brian Burns Situation

Ruminating on the deal that sent Burns to The Big Apple.

At long last, the will he won't he, he said she said, she loves me she loves me not saga between Brian Burns and the Carolina Panthers is over. The conclusion came when the Panthers agreed to terms with the New York Giants on trade compensation that would send the two-time Pro Bowler to New York in exchange for draft picks. 

It's been a long time coming to say the least. 

It has been 683 days since Carolina exercised Burns' fifth-year option, locking him down in Charlotte through the 2023 season.

It has been 497 days since the 2022 trade deadline when Carolina turned down an offer of two first-round picks and a second-rounder from the Los Angeles Rams for Burns.

It has been 250 days since Burns reluctantly reported to training camp in the midst of ongoing contract discussions. 

It has been 64 days since Burns recorded what would end up being his last sack in a Panthers uniform.

It has been 8 days since Burns and the Panthers halted contract negotiations at the NFL Combine.

Now, Burns is one day away from officially becoming a New York Giant and wiping his hands clean of a complicated relationship with a team that could never figure out how to value their star edge rusher. 

Carolina Panthers Free Agency Tracker

Folks will look at the trade compensation received for Burns, a second round pick (#39 overall) and two fifth round picks, and scoff. A 25-year-old double-digit sack producer with two Pro Bowls under his belt for a second rounder and some peanuts? Carolina has nobody but themselves to blame for being in this position. 

When the team turned down the deal from Les Snead and the Rams in 2022, they drew a line in the sand. The team was too prideful to fully commit to a rebuild. Not only did the Panthers hand all negotiation power over to Burns' and his camp by denying the Rams' trade overtures, they prematurely planted their flag in the contender camp.

Not trading Burns signified that Carolina thought they were ready to compete. They saw Burns as a building block on a roster that was ready to win big, and soon. In the short-term, they may have been right. After firing Matt Rhule and appointing Steve Wilks as the interim head coach, the Panthers ended the 2022 season winning five of eight games and found themselves on the doorstep of a playoff berth. 

That stretch of winning football prompted the organization to go all-in on the 2023 season. It was written all over everything the franchise said and did.

The "all-star" coaching staff, the trade up for Bryce Young, the comments from Scott Fitterer saying "we won't be picking at the top of the draft again." Those wins down the stretch of 2022 turned out to be false goods. Carolina believed they were ready to fight with the heavyweights in 2023, only to find themselves punching at a featherweight level. Now, the franchise is in depths only comparable to the Mariana Trench. 

Dan Morgan and Dave Canales are paying for the sins of those that walked before them. The series of win-now moves made in 2023 have turned the Carolina Panthers into a roster bereft of talent and future resources. The organization is coming off a 2-15 season, their first overall pick is in the hands of the Chicago Bears, and social media is dunking all over anything and everything to do with Carolina.

Trading Burns was a logically sound move. The return for Burns will be mocked, and rightfully so, but the market for a disgruntled defender without a contract was never going to materialize further. In 2022 Burns was a budding superstar on an affordable and controlled contract. In March of 2024 he's a free agent being held hostage in Carolina by the franchise tag. Significantly different values.

On the flip side, the Panthers signing Brian Burns to a $30 million a year contract would be like putting a Ferrari in the garage of a townhome. He'd waste away his prime years on a team going nowhere. 

Carolina is fully at fault for dragging their feet in deciding the long-term future of their star player. They didn't trade Burns at the peak of his value, they wouldn't budge on their perceived value of his next contract, and now, he's gone. Brian Burns is swimming in cash like Scrooge McDuck as the second-highest paid defense player in league history. Time will tell if the Panthers will rue this decision, or if it ends up looking smart. If it ends up like most decisions on Mint Street have recently, I wish Dan Morgan luck. 

It won't be long before Burns has a chance to make his former boss pay.

The Giants are scheduled to come to Charlotte for a regular season game in 2024, and after how Burns' situation in Carolina ended up playing out, I have no doubt that Spider-Burns is ready for his homecoming.