The Carolina Panthers are reportedly unwilling to move edge rusher Brian Burns at the current point in time, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.
Burns is in the final year of his deal with the Panthers and is slated to hit free agency in the spring. Carolina was unable to strike a long-term agreement with the star pass rusher going into the season, as Burns was apparently asking for a contract worth in the neighborhood of $26-28 million annually.
The Panthers didn’t seem very open to meeting that price, so many assumed that Burns would be a prime trade candidate ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL deadline. The fact that they are 0-6 only seemed to solidify the idea that the 25-year-old could be dealt.
But evidently, Carolina isn’t in any rush to trade Burns, which could be a sign that the team would be willing to re-sign him in the offseason.
The Panthers are projected to have a decent amount of cap room in the spring, so they could certainly afford to retain Burns. The question is whether or not they would want to, as Carolina is in rebuilding mode and has a plethora of needs up and down its roster that it needs to address.
Burns, who played his collegiate football at Florida State, was selected by the Panthers with the 16th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, finishing with 25 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Burns then proceeded to log nine sacks in each of his next two seasons. He proceeded to break out in 2022, when he racked up 63 tackles, 12.5 sacks, a forced fumble and three passes defended.
Brian Burns has already logged 20 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble through his first six games of 2023.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fl. native has made two straight Pro Bowl appearances.
Carolina will aim to pick up its first win of the season when it takes on the Houston Texans on Sunday.
