Carolina Panthers star edge rusher Brian Burns is on the verge of having the franchise tag placed on him. The Pro Bowl pass rusher and his team have been unable to come to terms on a long-term contract extension since last season. Said tag would cost the Panthers roughly $20.21 million. It’s a fair price given just how good Burns has been. But the former Florida State star is looking for a whole heck of a lot more. According to ESPN’s David Newton, Burns is angling to get $30 million annually on a long-term contract.
“I feel like I earned that before this season,” Brian Burns said recently. “Given our circumstances, it is what it is. But my feeling never changed from that point to now, because I put the work in for years prior to this.” Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers is currently the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL at $34 million per season. While Burns won’t be able to demand that, $30 million is a lofty figure.
Burns, 25, has racked up 95 QB hits and 46 sacks in five seasons since Carolina made him a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He’s coming off a 2023 campaign in which the edge rusher recorded 18 QB hits and eight sacks. It was down from a split of 12.5 and 22 back in 2022.
All of this comes on the heels of reports that the Los Angeles Rams might be a potential landing spot for Burns in a franchise-and-trade scenario. Los Angeles was linked to Burns ahead of the 2022 in-season NFL trade deadline. Apparently, the team is very high on him.
