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Panthers To Send OLB Brian Burns To Giants

March 12th, 2024 at 12:10am CST by Sam Robinson

At last, a resolution is coming in the Brian Burns saga. Two years after Burns became extension-eligible, he is being traded. The Giants will be the team to pay the franchise-tagged player now.

The Giants are sending the Panthers second- and fifth-round picks for Burns, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This deal will also come with an extension. New York will give Burns his long-sought-after extension, signing off on a five-year deal worth up to $150MM. The contract includes $87.5MM in guarantees. The Giants held an extra second-round pick from the 2023 Leonard Williams trade; that will come in handy as the team replenishes its pass rush.

Carolina-New York conversations on Burns had taken place for a stretch, and with the Panthers pausing extension talks for the 2019 first-round pick, that will lead to a scenery change. The Panthers kept Ejiro Evero in place as DC, and GM Dan Morgan was in the front office during Burns’ negotiations last year and when the Rams made a monster trade offer — one that far surpasses this actual haul — in 2022. But the Panthers were unable to complete a deal. They will now take what they can get and move on.

This moves comes nearly 18 months after the Rams proposed two first-round picks and a third for Burns at the 2022 trade deadline. In the aftermath of the Matt Rhule firing, the Panthers balked and prepared extension talks with Burns in 2023. Those conversations did not produce an agreement, and it did not sound like anything was close last year. The sides broke off talks before the season, and although more trade offers — not on the level of the Rams proposal — came out, the then-Scott Fitterer-run Panthers stood pat.

Burns has not been a top-tier edge rusher, having recorded one 10-plus-sack season (12.5 in 2022) in his five-year career. But the Giants will bet on the Florida State alum’s consistency. Burns has tallied at least 7.5 sacks in each of his NFL slates. He totaled eight last year. The former Ron Rivera-era Panthers draftee has tallied between 18 and 22 QB hits over the past four seasons. Burns’ 46 career sacks rank 12th in the NFL since 2019.

The Giants took a bit to reinvest in their edge positions following the Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon trades, but they took Azeez Ojulari in the 2021 second round. That was a Dave Gettleman-era move, and Ojulari did not play well in 2023. Ojulari only totaled 2.5 sacks in 11 games, undercutting Thibodeaux’s breakout to a degree. The Giants will pay up for Burns to go with Thibodeaux’s rookie deal, which can run through 2026 via the fifth-year option. While Burns’ AAV is not yet known, anything north of $28MM (T.J. Watt‘s deal) would bump him into second place behind only Nick Bosa among edges.

This wraps a long-running partnership for the Panthers, who had struggled to complement Burns on the edge. Yetur Gross-Matos and Justin Houston were unable to adequately do so, with hybrid performer Frankie Luvu — who is signing with the Commanders — being Carolina’s other top LB pass rusher. Gross-Matos and Marquis Haynes are free agents now. The Panthers will be in dire need at this premium position, and Monday saw a few of this year’s top edge players choose destinations already. The draft stands to be an avenue for the rebuilding team.

Panthers, G Damien Lewis Agree To Terms

March 11th, 2024 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers and Rams are in a guard battle, with the bulk of the high-end payments at this position going to Carolina or Los Angeles this week. The NFC South club struck again Monday night.

Four-year Seahawks starter Damien Lewis is heading to Charlotte, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reports. The former third-round pick has a four-year, $53MM deal in place with Carolina. After adding Robert Hunt on a monster accord, the Panthers are not stopping there. The team will give the ex-Seattle regular $26.2MM fully guaranteed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Rostering the NFL’s shortest starting quarterback in Bryce Young, the Panthers’ new coaching staff will equip the team’s 2023 top pick with two proven starters. Lewis’ guard starter tenure ran longer than Hunt’s, with the Seahawks putting the former to work from the jump in 2020.

The bevy of guards on PFR’s top 50 free agents list are snapped up. This includes Michael Onwenu, the guard/tackle whom the Patriots re-signed this evening. The Panthers will come away with two of them. Hunt scored the fourth-highest AAV in guard history ($20MM), while Lewis will settle in just north of $13MM. Rumored to be pursuing guards in free agency, Carolina was quite serious about upgrading to better protect its 5-foot-10 quarterback.

Lewis has a history with Dave Canales, to a degree. The new Panthers HC was on the Seahawks’ staff from 2010-21, overlapping as an offensive assistant in Lewis’ first two Seattle seasons. Carolina’s new staff will ask the 26-year-old blocker to keep up his pace and help Young improve in 2024. The Panthers already have an upper-crust tackle payment (for Taylor Moton) on their books, but they cut center Bradley Bozeman and have LT Ikem Ekwonu on a rookie deal.

As the Seahawks became the third team since the 1970 merger to start two rookie tackles (in 2022), Lewis stood as a dependable guard option. While not garnering the attention Hunt, Onwenu and Jonah Jackson did entering free agency, the LSU alum comes away with a nice payday as many teams searched for upgrades here. Lewis started all 61 games he played as a Seahawk, ranking fourth in ESPN’s run block win rate metric in 2022. While his Pro Football Focus ratings yo-yoed, Lewis certainly played a role in Geno Smith‘s surprising re-emergence over the past two seasons. The Panthers will hope he can boost Young soon.

Giants, Panthers Discussing Brian Burns Trade

March 11th, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Much of Monday’s action has related to the opening of free agency, which will officially take place later this week. Trades – in certain cases – are still very much on the table as a roster-building strategy this time of year.

Should the Panthers elect to trade franchise-tagged edge rusher Brian Burns, the Giants could be a landing spot. SNY’s Connor Hughes reports a mutual interest exists between Burns and New York on a trade which would be accompanied by a lucrative new deal. The sides have been discussing Burns for a while, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. No deal is final, but it appears this process has legs that could produce finality to a long-running saga. As of Monday afternoon, this process is trending toward a deal, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets. Nothing is final just yet, however.

A recent development pointed to a trade being in play. Carolina paused Burns extension talks — once again, as the sides have been at it for a while off and on — just before franchise-tagging him. A tag had long been in play for the 2019 first-round pick, but trade offers have come in as well.

Teams pursued Burns at each of the past two trade deadlines, but Carolina stood pat. One of the bigger “what if?” trades in recent NFL history transpired in 2022, when the Rams offered two-first-rounders and a third for the talented edge rusher. The Panthers declined the offer, and they did not receive any proposals in that ballpark in 2023. Burns playing out his rookie contract will make matters more difficult for the Panthers to obtain comparable value to that Rams blockbuster offer in a trade.

Burns, 25, would obviously bring a major upgrade to the Giants. Big Blue has sought an edge rusher to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux, and the first two years of a Burns contract would align with Thibodeaux’s rookie deal. The Giants can keep the 2022 first-rounder on his rookie pact through 2025, with a fifth-year option decision for ’26. Burns has sought a $30MM-per-year deal, however, and the Panthers have been reluctant to authorize it. As Carolina shifts to a new GM and coaching staff, it does seem like a trade is in play now.

While edge rushers are obviously valuable, Burns needing a top-market contract will cut into his trade value. He has not brought the kind of production Khalil Mack did when the Raiders received two first-rounders for the former Defensive Player of the Year. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson offers that teams are hesitant to part with a first-rounder and change for Burns, who has one double-digit sack season on his resume. That said, Burns has 46 career sacks and has never totaled fewer than 7.5 in a season.

Panthers To Add G Robert Hunt

March 11th, 2024 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to be chasing guards, the Panthers are paying up to help Bryce Young protection in the quarterback’s second season. They are preparing a $100MM payment to fill this need.

Robert Hunt is headed to Charlotte, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reveals what it will cost. Hunt is signing a five-year, $100MM deal. A three-year Dolphins guard starter, Hunt becomes only the fourth guard in NFL history to sign a deal for at least $20MM per year. Part of Hunt’s guarantee will come via a $26.5MM signing bonus, Garafolo adds.

The Dolphins’ free agents have led the way on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. Miami was preparing to lose both Hunt and Christian Wilkins; both players have received deals near the top of their positions’ markets. Hunt will slide in as an upgrade at guard for a Panthers team that saw both its guard starters — Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett — suffer season-ending injuries last year.

These injuries were among the issues that plagued Young during his rough rookie season. The Panthers will give their diminutive quarterback a better chance by helping to protect him from inside pressure, which was a common problem during the No. 1 pick’s debut. Hunt is going into his age-28 season, making it rather important he was able to cash in this year — after the cap spike created a friendlier market.

A 2020 second-round pick, Hunt slid from right tackle to right guard in 2021 and became the Dolphins’ most consistent O-lineman. As Miami moved more players around and saw other blockers suffer injuries in this span, Hunt chugged along. That said, Hunt did aggravate a hamstring injury and miss seven games last season. But the Louisiana alum started all 34 games from 2021-22. Hunt goes 330 pounds, giving the Panthers an imposing presence as they reconstruct their line in Dave Canales‘ first year.

Pro Football Focus slotted Hunt as a top-12 guard in each of the past two seasons; he played a big role in helping Mike McDaniel‘s offense ignite. The Panthers will pay up to see if he can help Young begin a real development effort, after last season saw those hopes encounter early turbulence.

Panthers To Move On From S Vonn Bell

March 11th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Vonn Bell‘s time with the Panthers has proven to be short-lived. The veteran safety will be traded or released, ESPN’s David Newton notes.

Bell inked a three-year, $22.5MM deal with the Panthers just last offseason. He was due a $3MM roster bonus later this week, and the Panthers decided to ultimately cost their losses and move on.

Bell’s lone season with the Panthers wasn’t a disaster by any means. He started each of his 13 appearances, finishing with 69 tackles and one interception. Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran only 61st among 95 qualifying safeties, although that ranking was partly dragged down by his poor run defense score.

Pro Football Focus previously gave Bell much higher scores, ranking him as an above-average safety in four of his five seasons between 2018 and 2022. Bell spent three of those five campaigns in Cincinnati, starting all 48 of his appearances while compiling five interceptions. He also started all seven of his playoff appearances for the Bengals, including the 2021 AFC Championship Game where he had a key overtime interception on Patrick Mahomes. The defensive back began his career with the Saints, with the former second-round pick starting 45 of his 61 appearances.

With a new general manager in Dan Morgan and new head coach in Dave Canales, the Panthers have been focused on shaving some of the fat off their roster. The organization is also set to move on from the likes of tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman, and cornerback Donte Jackson.

Panthers To Re-Sign CB Troy Hill

March 11th, 2024 at 8:39am CST by Sam Robinson

Troy Hill spent the 2023 season on his third team in as many years. His time in Carolina will provide short-term continuity, however. The veteran corner is re-signing on a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Serving as one of this period’s longest-running slot cornerbacks, Hill stepped into that role with the Panthers in 2023. The team signed the veteran inside cover man just before last season, reuniting the ex-Rams cog with former Los Angeles DBs coach Ejiro Evero. With Evero blocked from leaving Carolina this offseason, the Panthers are rolling with that plan once again.

Despite signing barely a week before last season, Hill played in 16 Panthers games and saw action on 50% of the 2-15 team’s defensive snaps. Hill’s age (33 in August) would not stand to line up with the Panthers’ timeline, given the significant step back that occurred last season. And teams do not exactly make a habit of signing corners nearing their mid-30s. But Hill’s familiarity with Evero’s scheme will help him stay in the game ahead of what would be a ninth NFL season.

Hill worked with Evero for four seasons in Los Angeles. While he missed the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning season, the longtime slot cog was a regular as Sean McVay rebuilt the team. Hill played in Super Bowl LIII, but the Rams traded him to the Browns during the 2021 draft. He returned to L.A. in 2022, but Evero was in Denver by then.

Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Hill 77th overall among corners. He intercepted one pass and broke up six others, forcing a fumble as well. Hill is certainly not a long-term solution at this point in his career, but the Panthers will aim to use him as one of their Jaycee Horn complementary pieces in 2024. The team has more questions at corner, after cutting Donte Jackson, but Hill’s presence could answer one of those just before free agency opens.

Free Agency Notes: Queen, Seahawks, Packers, Panthers, Pats, Jackson, Bengals

March 10th, 2024 at 10:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens’ Roquan Smith payment always made it likely Patrick Queen would need to collect his money elsewhere. Now that Queen’s most recent defensive coordinator landed a coaching job, a logical fit has emerged. Indeed, many executives predicted (via the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora) Queen would wind up reunited with Mike Macdonald in Seattle. With the Seahawks likely to again part ways with Bobby Wagner, spots are open. Jordyn Brooks, who joined Queen as a 2020 first-round LB pick, is also on the cusp of free agency. Queen is coming off his best season — a Pro Bowl showing alongside Smith — and turned a corner once the Bears trade commenced last year.

Checking in eighth on PFR’s top 50 free agents list (before the Chris Jones and Baker Mayfield deals), Queen could be in line to rival what Tremaine Edmunds received ($18MM per year, $41.8MM fully guaranteed) last year and land a top-five ILB contract. Barely 12 hours from the legal tampering period, here is the latest from the free agent scene:

  • Not known for splashy signings, the Packers do look like they are ready to upgrade at one position on the market. Green Bay appears likely to look at the top safeties available, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Although several veteran safeties became street free agents due to recent cuts (Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and Jordan Poyer among them), this saturated market does include two young guns that should be paid well soon. It would not shock to see the Pack pursue Xavier McKinney and Kamren Curl, Fowler adds. Both safeties are going into their age-25 seasons, which could separate them on a crowded market.
  • The Panthers released Bradley Bozeman today, and while they will look for a center, expect a guard pursuit as well. This year’s market is big on guards, and The Athletic’s Joe Person writes the Panthers want to upgrade at a guard spot this offseason. Carolina lost both its starting guards — Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett — to major injuries last season, representing one of the many issues on offense in Bryce Young‘s rookie year. The team does not consider Ikem Ekwonu an option. Despite the 2022 first-rounder playing guard at points in college, ESPN.com’s David Newton indicates the new coaching staff is keeping him at left tackle.
  • The Patriots are open to bringing back J.C. Jackson, according to Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline. Jackson’s season ended early after the team placed the veteran cornerback on the reserve/NFI list. Should Jackson move past the mental health struggles that wrapped his first season back in New England, Pauline adds the team is open to another reunion despite last week’s release.
  • Seeing a revolving door form at right tackle (Bobby Hart, Riley Reiff, La’el Collins, Jonah Williams) over the past four years, the Bengals want that to stop. They may be ready to take a two-pronged approach by adding a veteran and a potential rookie heir apparent. “We would like to have somebody man the right tackle spot for a number of years, yes,” player personnel director Duke Tobin said (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.). “We’d like it to be a young guy that can come in and do that or a veteran that might have the opportunity to rebuild his career, something. But yes, we would like that to be manned on multiple fronts. But we’re focused with having it manned well enough to provide us a chance to win next year. That’s the No. 1 thing.” Williams is a free agent, and given the market he might have — as a chance to move to left tackle may await — it is unlikely the 2019 first-round pick is back in Cincinnati.

Panthers To Release C Bradley Bozeman

March 10th, 2024 at 12:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Bradley Bozeman‘s tenure in Charlotte has come to an end. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Panthers will release the veteran center at the start of the league year on Wednesday. Bozeman was due a $1.5MM roster bonus on March 16, so Carolina will avoid that payment.

Bozeman began his career with the Ravens, seeing first-team playing time at both guard and center. It was in the latter role that he finished his rookie contract in 2021, remaining a full-time starter over the course of that campaign. In his first trip to free agency, the former sixth-rounder headed to Charlotte on a one-year pact. Bozeman made 17 appearances (and 11 starts) in that time.

A mutual interest existed between team and player to work out a new arrangement, and that was indeed the case last March. Bozeman inked a three-year, $18MM deal to remain with the Panthers. After only one year on that pact, however, Carolina – now led by general manager Dan Morgan – will cut bait and begin to search out a replacement. Joe Person of The Athletic notes Bozeman declined to take a pay cut to remain with the team. By timing the release after the new league year begins, the Panthers will have the option of designating this move a post-June 1 cut. That route would yield $2MM in cap savings and $5.64MM in dead money.

Bozeman earned a PFF grade of 62.2 in 2023, a figure which falls roughly in line with most of his past performances . Strong play as a run blocker was overshadowed by shortcomings in terms of pass protection; the 29-year-old was charged with eight sacks allowed as part of a Panthers’ O-line which struggled to keep quarterback Bryce Young upright. Major changes up front will be a top priority for Morgan and Co. in free agency and/or the draft.

The 2024 free agent class already featured a few center options for teams to choose from, but Bozeman will be a notable addition to the group. Highly regarded for his work off the field, the Alabama product has earned the Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination in both Baltimore and Carolina. He will be hard-pressed to land another pact averaging $6MM as he did last offseason, but he should manage to find a new home in relatively short order.

Rory Parks contributed to this post. 

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/24

March 8th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the league’s tender decisions as we head into the weekend:

RFAs

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Los Angeles will retain Dicker and Sarell for the 2024 season. After making three starts in 2022, Sarell appeared in every contest for the Chargers in 2023. Dicker returns after a superb season as the team’s placekicker in 2023. After missing only one kick in 10 games in 2022, Dicker provided more brilliance in a full season as the team’s designated leg. Dicker made 31 of 33 field goal attempts, showing range with seven made kicks over 50 yards. Only two years in, Dicker is showing a resemblance to the other great Longhorn kicker in the league. The only three misses of his career have come from over 50 yards out, and he has yet to miss an extra point in his two years of play.

Carolina has made the call not to tender Smith-Marsette. The team’s primary punt returner in 2023, Smith-Marsette led the league in punts returned, taking one to the house in a Week 10 loss to the Bears. While the Panthers won’t tender him, both sides are reportedly open to working towards a re-sign for 2024.

Panthers Re-Sign LS J.J. Jansen

March 8th, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

J.J. Jansen is on track to create more distance between himself and other Panthers in the franchise’s games-played column. The veteran long snapper will be back for another go-round in Charlotte next season.

The Panthers re-signed the 15-year veteran to a one-year deal on Friday, The Athletic’s Joseph Person notes. This will be Jansen’s sixth contract agreement as a member of the Panthers, who acquired the specialist via trade from the Packers back in 2009.

A 2013 Pro Bowler, Jansen has opted to sign one-year deals in recent years. The Panthers signed off on a four-year extension in 2012 and a five-year re-up in 2016. Since 2021, however, Jansen has gone year to year. The former Green Bay UDFA is going into his age-38 season.

Jansen reached 243 games played last season; that sits 22 north of John Kasay‘s previous Panthers standard. Among active Panthers, Shaq Thompson is the closest — at 119. Among active long snappers, Jansen leads the pack in terms of appearances, having also added seven playoff games.

While various issues can plague long snappers, this is one of the most stable positions in sports. Mastering this skill can lead to a steady gig toward age 40, and Jansen is as reliable as they come. The Notre Dame alum has never missed a game since debuting with Carolina 15 years ago. A near-vet-minimum salary will await Jansen, as it does all long snappers. The Panthers paid their third specialist $1.32MM last season.

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