What Are the Panthers Doing with Brian Burns?

A franchise tag is likely on its way for the Panthers' premier pass rusher.

The Carolina Panthers have a long way to go before they are taken seriously by the rest of the league as a team that can contend. But being taken seriously off the field is just as important as it shows a commitment to winning. 

After roughly two years of contract negotiations with pass rusher Brian Burns, the Panthers have yet to come close to a deal. Many predict that Carolina will utilize the franchise tag for the 2024 season, giving them another calendar year to try and work something out. 

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, the two sides were separated by a few million bucks back at the start of last season.

"When Burns ended a two-day “hold in” before Week 1 last year, The Athletic reported he was seeking a deal with an annual average value of about $30 million. The Panthers were willing to go as high as five years at $27 million a year, according to a league source with knowledge of the contract talks."

This ($30M AAV), in my opinion, is a pretty fair deal. It's not like Burns is asking to reset the market and become the highest paid pass rusher. He wants the respect he deserves and at least be in the ballpark of some of his peers. 

In five seasons, Burns has accounted for 246 tackles, 95 QB hits, 59 tackles for loss, 46 sacks, and eight forced fumbles. 

That type of production is not easy to replace. 

The defense, for the most part, is in great shape. You have a strong young core of Derrick Brown, Frankie Luvu (pending UFA), Jaycee Horn, and Burns (pending UFA). It's a unit that is ready to win now. Losing Burns, be it this offseason or next, would be a massive hit for the Panthers' rebuild. 

Teams that have a quarterback on a rookie contract need to take full advantage of that four-five year window and accumulate as much talent as possible, especially when that quarterback was the No. 1 overall pick. When you give up as much as you did to go get Bryce Young, you shouldn't have to wait for progress to be shown before you start committing to long-term deals elsewhere on the roster. 

The other part of this is the risk of upsetting Burns and he walks away at some point in the future, netting nothing in return. He's played for three head coaches (six if you count interims) in five years and has yet to be a part of a winning team in Carolina. Why there is hesitancy to throw the bag at one of the few consistent, durable, high-level, high character players over those five years is beyond me.

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