Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

Extension-eligible since January 2022, Brian Burns has decided to ramp up the pressure on the Panthers. The fifth-year pass rusher has shifted to a hold-in strategy, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

Burns attended training camp and practiced throughout, but with the sides still far apart on the long-rumored extension, a course change took place. The 2019 first-round pick is going into his fifth-year option season, slotting his cap number at a Panthers-high $16MM. That number could come into play for a different reason soon. The Panthers made an early-summer offer to Burns and have eyed an extension for over a year now.

This marks an unusual switch, though this summer has seen a few twists regarding attendance. Zack Martin, Chris Jones and Nick Bosa staged holdouts. Martin’s ended with the Cowboys giving their All-Pro guard a substantial raise and guaranteeing his 2023 and 2024 salaries. The Chiefs have not caved on Jones, though the sides are talking. The least contentious of these holdouts, Bosa’s would not need to bring financial penalties for camp absences due to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year remaining on his rookie contract. But Bosa would begin to miss game checks if he does not suit up for Week 1.

Burns would soon find himself in that boat. If the Pro Bowl edge defender’s hold-in effort moves to games missed, he would lose out on an $890K check per game. Burns just said he would not miss any time. That stance would obviously point to him not missing Week 1, undercutting his hold-in leverage. Frank Reich said Burns missed Monday’s practice because of a personal matter but added he was not sure his top sack artist would begin the season without a new deal in hand.

When T.J. Watt secured an edge rusher-record $28MM per year, he staged a hold-in that did not end until three days before Week 1. T.J. Hockenson‘s hold-in, which featured excuses of ear and back issues covering for missed practices, ended last week with a tight end-record AAV. That would have been a more consistent measure for Burns to try, but shifting from practicing to a hold-in just before the season marks a new chapter in 2020s negotiations. It also signals Burns becoming serious about locking in this deal after being eligible for one for two offseasons.

Previously connected to wanting top-five edge rusher money, Burns now may be eyeing a contract closer to the one Bosa is pursuing. Burns, 25, is indeed eyeing “Bosa-type money,” per Person, who adds the Panthers would be more comfortable with the deal coming in around Maxx Crosby territory. Crosby scored a $23.5MM-per-year deal from the Raiders in March 2022; that sits fifth among edge rushers. Bosa’s pact will soon bump it to sixth. Guarantees here will obviously be critical. Watt received a defender-record $80MM fully guaranteed. While Joey Bosa is at $78MM and Nick Bosa figures to secure guarantees on this level, no other edge rusher received more than $60MM locked in at signing.

It is understandable the Panthers do not want Burns in the $30MM-per-year neighborhood — contract terrain that has yet to form, as Nick Bosa’s holdout persists — as Burns has not proven himself to be on Watt or Nick Bosa’s level yet. He has one double-digit sack season (12.5 in 2022) on his resume. But the player has leverage here. The Panthers turned down a two-first-rounder Rams proposal for Burns before last year’s deadline, and they kept him out of trade talks with the Bears — which led to D.J. Moore becoming mandatory for Chicago — in March. The Panthers are also set to build around Bryce Young‘s rookie contract, which will give them roster flexibility elsewhere.

It will be interesting to see if Burns’ about-face works here. It could provide a blueprint for other contract-seeking players who see talks fail to progress ahead of the season. The Raiders and Colts’ extensions for Darren Waller and Quenton Nelson, respectively, showed how close to the season negotiations can run. Both players agreed to re-ups the Saturday before their teams’ Week 1 games. Burns talks may push up against the Panthers’ season opener as well.

Brian Burns remains without a deal beyond 2023, but he elected to take part in training camp unlike a number of other high-profile players seeking new contracts. The Panthers edge rusher recently spoke about his willingness to decide against holding out and his desire to finalize an extension.

“No fault to anybody who is not participating,” Burns said, via ESPN’s David Newton. “But we’ve got something special, and I’m a big part of it, so I can’t miss no time. I’ve just got to be here.”

Burns has long been on the extension radar, and at least one offer has been made. Newton reports that negotiations remained ongoing during practice last week, and Burns added that he remains “hopeful” an agreement can be reached before the season starts. He is due $16MM in 2023 while being tied to the fifth-year option, but a signficant raise will be required to hammer out a multi-year deal.

The Florida State product posted a career-high 12.5 sacks last season and he is in position to continue leading the Panthers’ edge rush group. A shift to a 3-4 scheme could help Burns continue his career ascent as a sack artist while masking his relative deficiencies as a run defender. A long-term commitment confirming his status as a franchise cornerstone was implied when Carolina turned down a Rams trade offer which included two first-round picks and again when they did not include him in the package sent to the Bears for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

Burns, 25, is likely to garner a deal placing him at least in the top 10 amongst pass-rushers. That would require an AAV of no less than $20MM, but a figure closer to Myles Garrett‘s $25MM or Joey Bosa‘s $27MM could be in play (especially if Nick Bosa‘s 49ers holdout produces a monster extension to reset the market). Given the lucrative nature of Burns’ next contract, it was perhaps unsurprising that the latest report on his situation indicated signficant progress still needed to be made regarding extension talks.

Nevertheless, Burns reiterated his desire to remain in Carolina for the foreseeable future via a long-term deal, something which would go a long way in helping the team’s chances of competing in a wide-open NFC South. Negotiations could continue into the regular season, which would give team and player extra time to come to an agreement.

“We’ve got a lot of things I want to accomplish, a lot of goals, and God-willing we’ll reach those goals,” Burns added. “But I’ve got to be here.”