Brian Burns trade grades: Giants to acquire star pass rusher from Panthers, sign him to massive deal

The New York Giants had only made a few small moves in free agency thus far, but they are set to make a massive splash with one of the best pass rushers in the league. Per CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the Giants and the Carolina Panthers have agreed upon a trade for Brian Burns.

The Panthers will receive a 2024 second-round pick (No. 39 overall) and a 2025 fifth-round pick in the deal, according to the MMQB. As part of the sign-and-trade, Burns agreed to a five-year, $150 million deal with the Giants that includes $87.5 million guaranteed, per Jones. Burns is set to be the second-highest-paid pass rusher in the NFL in terms of average annual salary ($30 million) behind only Nick Bosa at $34 million per year. 

Burns received the non-exclusive tag by the Panthers last week, so he would have receive a guaranteed salary of $22.3 million in 2024. He’s coming off a season during which he finished with 40 pressures, eight sacks, 18 quarterback hits and a 11.1% pressure rate. 

Burns, who played defensive end in previous seasons, lined up as an outside linebacker for the majority of snaps last season — making him eligible for a linebacker’s salary as a result of the tag. Burns was allowed to negotiate with other teams as a result of the non-exclusive tag. 

If the Giants decided to just sign Burns and the Panthers didn’t match it, they would have had to surrender two first-round picks to Carolina — hence both sides hammering out a deal. 

The Giants have Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari as their top edge rushers along with Dexter Lawrence as an interior pass rusher, making Burns a tremendous asset to a unit that finished 29th in pressure rate at 31.7% last season. The Panthers are in the midst of a rebuild and fetched draft compensation by dealing Burns. 

Here are some quick grades on the deal:

Giants: A

Give credit to the Giants for addressing a pass rush that was one of…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/brian-burns-trade-grades-giants-to-acquire-star-pass-rusher-from-panthers-sign-him-to-massive-deal/

Author : Jeff Kerr

Publish date : 2024-03-11 23:36:11

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