Brian Burns

Panthers’ Brian Burns Addresses Contract Situation

September 3rd, 2023 at 6:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

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.”

Panthers, Brian Burns Not Close On Deal

August 8th, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Extension-eligible since January 2022, Brian Burns is approaching the point of playing into a contract year. Two weeks into training camp, the two sides have some work to do.

The Panthers and Burns are not believed to be close on terms, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. This extension has been on the Panthers’ radar for a while, initially coming up in April 2022, and the Panthers have made an offer. But Burns remains tied to his rookie contract.

Carolina has changed head coaches and defensive coordinators, with Ejiro Evero calling the shots for Frank Reich‘s team on defense. Scott Fitterer was not in place as GM when the Panthers drafted Burns, but that has not stopped the team from planning this extension. This has brought a drawn-out process, however, and Fowler adds Burns does not sound like he is leery of beginning his fifth-year option season without an extension in place. Thanks to the Fitterer-Matt Rhule tandem picking up that option, Burns is tied to a $16MM guaranteed salary for 2023.

Trade talks also stand to embolden Burns, whose next contract will likely place him in the top five among edge rusher AAV. The Panthers turned down a two-first-rounder offer from the Rams for Burns before the 2022 trade deadline. If that were not enough, Burns’ camp can point to Fitterer and Co. refusing to deal him to the Bears in March’s exchange for the No. 1 pick — a swap that required the Panthers to send D.J. Moore to Chicago.

The top domino on the edge market has yet to fall, which also could be impacting Burns’ talks with the Panthers. The 49ers and Nick Bosa remain in negotiations, as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year stages a holdout. Bosa has long been on the radar to eclipse Aaron Donald‘s $31.7MM-per-year salary, which leads the pack among defenders. Burns is not a candidate to compete with Bosa, but a new salary ceiling would stand to benefit the fellow 2019 first-rounder.

Burns, 25, has missed all of two games as a pro. He is coming off a career-high 12.5 sacks (to go with 22 QB hits), getting there despite the Panthers having let Haason Reddick walk in free agency. Carolina did not acquire a comparable Reddick successor last year, but the team did bring in Justin Houston — with a $6MM guarantee — over the weekend. Houston’s presence figures to help Burns, but with the former going into his age-34 season, no issue exists regarding who is the Panthers’ centerpiece pass rusher.

As of now, the $23.5MM-per-year mark represents the fifth spot in the edge defender salary pecking order. It should be expected Burns is aiming to pass the Bradley Chubb–Maxx Crosby point, with the salary cap on track to make another big jump in 2024. The next level would be the Joey Bosa–Myles Garrett tier. The Browns All-Pro is tied to $25MM per year, while the injury-prone Chargers ace is at $27MM AAV. That will be tougher territory to enter, but the Panthers’ recent trade talks and their cap sheet — one now featuring Bryce Young‘s rookie contract — all represent positive developments for the ascending sack artist.

Panthers Have Made Contract Offer To Brian Burns

July 16th, 2023 at 9:09am CST by Rory Parks

The Panthers and edge rusher Brian Burns commenced extension talks last month. The two sides have reached one significant milestone in those discussions, as Carolina has submitted a contract offer to Burns, according to Darin Gantt of the team’s official website.

The details of that offer are presently unclear, so it is difficult to handicap the likelihood of an agreement coming together before the start of the regular season. Additionally, as Gantt observes, Burns may want to wait until the 49ers’ ongoing negotations with Nick Bosa, another standout pass rusher from the 2019 draft class, are completed before he puts pen to paper on his own contract. While Burns’ next deal will not be as lucrative as Bosa’s, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, the aphorism “a rising tide lifts all boats” is applicable here.

Regardless of what happens with Bosa, Burns is expected to land a contract that places him among the top-five or top-six highest-paid edge defenders. In the current market, such a deal would include an average annual value upwards of $22MM and practical guarantees of more than $53MM, though it is possible that Burns will top those figures by a comfortable margin.

The Panthers may want to wrap their talks with Burns sooner rather than later in light of the ever-rising price tag for high-end pass rushers, but there is no real urgency from a club control persepctive. Burns is set to play out the 2023 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal — which will pay him just north of $16MM — and the team can hit him with the franchise tag next year if it so chooses. The value of the tag is projected to be in the $24MM-$25MM range, which is roughly what Burns’ AAV on an extension would be anyway.

Burns’ on-field performance has obviously set a high baseline for his second NFL contract. Though Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics suggest that his run defense could still use some work, teams place a higher value on pass rushing ability these days, and Burns has that in spades. He set a career-high with 12.5 sacks in 2022, and since he turned pro in 2019, he has generated 38 sacks, which is the 11th-highest total in the league over that four-year timeframe. He has also earned Pro Bowl acclaim in each of the last two seasons.

Another factor that will help him in negotiations is the fact that the Panthers rebuffed a trade proposal from the Rams prior to last year’s deadline that would have netted Carolina 2024 and 2025 first-round selections and a 2023 second-rounder in exchange for Burns. Obviously, that gives the Florida State alum some extra leverage, and it is certainly possible that the Panthers’ shift to a 3-4 front under new DC Ejiro Evero could improve his all-around performance, which would drive his value even higher.

Panthers, Brian Burns Begin Extension Talks

June 13th, 2023 at 5:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Expected to begin post-draft, the extension talks between the Panthers and Brian Burns look to be underway. The fifth-year edge rusher confirmed (via ESPN.com’s David Newton) conversations have started.

Burns has become one of the NFL’s better outside rushers. He set a new career high with 12.5 sacks last season and has been named an original-ballot Pro Bowler in each of the past two years. The Panthers will need to pay Burns near the top of the D-end/rush-linebacker market, something the Florida State alum confirmed Tuesday. The organization has been on this path for a bit now, and a run of rebuffed trade overtures suggests Burns will do very well on his second contract.

Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said earlier this offseason Burns is squarely in line for an extension, joining Derrick Brown in that regard. The Bears asked about both D-linemen during the teams’ trade talks in March, a process that ended with D.J. Moore dealt to Chicago. While Burns and Brown’s rookie deals factored into Moore being the one traded, the standout edge will likely soon be attached to a lucrative second contract.

Maxx Crosby became the most recent player to infiltrate the top five on the edge market. T.J. Watt‘s $28MM-per-year deal tops that salary hierarchy presently, and although the Steelers inked the former Defensive Player of the Year to that deal in September 2021, Burns will have a difficult time exceeding that accord. That said, Nick Bosa is poised to secure an extension north of $30MM on average. That could change the market. Even if Bosa’s deal does not ultimately impact the Panthers’ Burns talks, the team’s top pass rusher is surely targeting a number north of the deals given to Crosby ($23.5MM AAV) and Bradley Chubb ($22MM) last year. Burns’ next deal will likely make him a top-five or top-six edge, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

Burns’ 38 sacks rank 11th since 2019. While Pro Football Focus has not rated Burns’ run defense as particularly sound, he has generated immense trade interest. Prior to the Bears’ inquiry, the Rams made an aggressive pursuit. It is widely known the Panthers turned down a two-first-rounder Rams offer for Burns before last year’s deadline. The picks were to come in 2024 and ’25, but Burns’ camp can use that declined offer as clear evidence of the fifth-year defender’s value to the team.

The former Ron Rivera-era investment stands to be the anchor pass rusher in Ejiro Evero‘s defensive scheme. Chubb served in that capacity for part of last season, but the Broncos dealt him to the Dolphins at the deadline. The Panthers do not have another notable front-seven contract on their books, having convinced Shaq Thompson to accept a pay cut in exchange for a bit more in 2023 guarantees. Brown, who is now extension-eligible but can be kept on his rookie deal through 2024, figures to follow Burns on the extension radar next year.

The Panthers can string these negotiations out, with the franchise tag at their disposal, but another significant salary cap bump is expected in 2024. Locking down Burns now would be the prudent move for Carolina, which is transitioning to a new coaching staff for the second time in Burns’ career. Doing a deal now also stands to reduce Burns’ cap number — presently at $16MM, due to the Panthers exercising his fifth-year option in May 2022 — for the ’23 season.

D.J. Moore’s Contract Factored Into Bears’ Trade Effort

May 19th, 2023 at 11:53am CST by Sam Robinson

While the Panthers stood down regarding a D.J. Moore trade after firing Matt Rhule last October, they ended up unloading their top wide receiver to secure what turned out to be Bryce Young draft real estate. Moore will move to a Bears franchise that has not had much luck forging long-term partnerships with impact wide receivers.

Moore came up during the Bears and Panthers’ trade talks when other suitors drove up the bidding during the early-March sweepstakes for the No. 1 overall pick. The Texans initially were part of these proceedings, with the Bears plotting a move down from No. 1 to No. 2 to No. 9. After Houston withdrew, Chicago dealt directly with Carolina. Bears GM Ryan Poles also inquired about defensive linemen Brian Burns and Derrick Brown, but both being on rookie contracts impeded either being included in the trade.

“In the very beginning I was laughed at because I had [one of] three guys that I wanted in the trade,” Poles said, via The Athletic’s Jim Trotter (subscription required). “I did know and felt like there was more of an opportunity to get D.J. because he had a bigger contract and there would be a bigger benefit in cap space to kick back to Carolina. But it was not easy because they absolutely loved that kid. It was painful to pull him out of their arms. I really think it would have been even harder if he had been on a rookie contract.”

Carolina extended Moore in nearly a year before trading him, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal worth $61.9MM. That pact came just before the avalanche of receiver extensions drove up the market. Moore, Mike Williams and Chris Godwin settled onto the same tier, hours before Davante Adams‘ Raiders extension ($28MM per year) and days before Tyreek Hill‘s $30MM-AAV extension came to pass. The 2019 receiver class soon upped the cost for up-and-coming star pass catchers as well.

The Bears will benefit from the Panthers’ timing with Moore. They now have him tied to the 10th-most lucrative receiver deal, with the likes of A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf passing him later during the 2022 offseason. Chicago does not have another big-ticket skill-position deal on its books, with Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool and Cole Kmet attached to rookie contracts. Justin Fields‘ rookie pact runs through 2024 but can be pushed to 2025 via the fifth-year option. The team let David Montgomery walk — for a three-year, $18MM Lions deal — and landed a replacement (D’Onta Foreman) for just $2MM.

The Bears might still be in the market for defensive end help, having finished last in sacks in 2022 and addressing their D-tackle spots early in the draft. But Burns remains on track to sign a Panthers extension. Brown became extension-eligible in January, but the Panthers picked up his fifth-year option earlier this month.

Moore, 26, posted 1,100-plus-yard years from 2019-21, doing so despite a shuffling Panthers QB situation. The Bears have experienced fairly good fortune with veteran acquisitions at receiver over the past several years. Brandon Marshall still holds the team’s single-season receiving yardage record; Allen Robinson produced two 1,100-plus-yard seasons. Neither lasted more than four years for the Bears, who did not get much from Robinson’s fourth slate (a 410-yard showing on the franchise tag).

Moore’s Chicago fit will be a work in progress, but he should have a chance to land another extension in the not-too-distant future, a contract that could keep him in Illinois for the long haul.

Panthers’ Brian Burns Undergoes Ankle Surgery

May 8th, 2023 at 8:59am CST by Adam La Rose

With minicamps set to start around the league, many teams will have a large contingent of veterans available to take part in workouts and practices. That will not be the case for Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns, however.

Burns recently underwent surgery on his right ankle, per a team announcement. The 25-year-old was sidelined for Carolina’s regular season finale, and offseason tests revealed a small fracture. The procedure is not expected to keep him away from training camp this summer, though, which should allow him to put together another productive campaign in 2023.

The Florida State product recorded a career-high 12.5 sacks last season, adding 17 tackles for loss and 22 QB hits. Those totals earned him a second consecutive Pro Bowl nod, and further cemented his status as one of the Panthers’ most important players in the short- and long-term future. The center of trade talks after the firing of Matt Rhule, Burns can be expected to remain in Charlotte for many years to come.

When asked about Burns’ situation with respect to a new contract, general manager Scott Fitterer said, “Brian Burns is going to be here. We will work through [an extension] with his agent” (Twitter link via Steve Reed of the Associated Press). That falls in line with Fitterer’s previous remarks on the subject, and with the draft now finished, a deal for Burns (who is set to play on the fifth-year option in 2023) represents one of the team’s top priorities.

While the latter will no doubt be counted on to anchor Carolina’s pass rush, more moves could be coming to provide a boost in that department. ESPN’s David Newton notes that “there’s a good chance” the Panthers will add a veteran edge rusher in the post-draft wave of free agency. A number of experienced options are still on the market, including Leonard Floyd, Frank Clark, Yannick Ngakoue and Robert Quinn. Carolina currently sits second in the league in terms of cap space, so they could afford a short-term move with any of those names as a compliment to Burns, whose financial future could become clearer soon.

Bears Also Targeted Brian Burns, Derrick Brown; Panthers Discussed Trades With Cardinals, Seahawks

April 7th, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams’ 2016 trade-up for Jared Goff involved only picks being exchanged with the Titans, whereas the Falcons’ 2001 move for Michael Vick featured a player and draft choices going to the Chargers. Standout return man Tim Dwight went to San Diego in that deal. Ryan Poles preferred the latter structure, leading to the pre-free agency swap that featured D.J. Moore and picks going to the Bears.

Chicago’s second-year GM zeroed in on a picks-and-players package when he began dangling the No. 1 overall pick, Joe Person, Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic report (subscription required). The Bears had other targets beyond Moore. Unsurprisingly, they were the two other top trade chips that came up at last year’s trade deadline. Chicago also targeted Brian Burns and Derrick Brown.

Poles sought advice from Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, per The Athletic, citing the NHL as relevant reference material regarding trades involving picks and players. The Bears first heard from the Panthers on a trade, after Carolina — even though team brass met with Derek Carr at the Combine — determined a rookie passer would be the plan after three seasons of veteran retreads post-Cam Newton. Chicago also discussed the pick with Houston and Las Vegas, but Poles’ relationship with Carolina GM Scott Fitterer helped move the intra-NFC trade past the goal line.

The Panthers’ first offer included only picks, per The Athletic, but Poles informed Fitterer picks alone would not be enough to allow the Panthers to move from No. 9 to No. 1. Carolina pulled that proposal, and Burns, Brown and Moore came up. All three players emerged as targets at last year’s deadline — none more so than Burns, who drew a two-first-rounder offer from the Rams. The picks included in that proposal were in 2024 and 2025, however, leading the Panthers to pass.

“There were certain players that we never really wanted to trade,” Fitterer said, via The Athletic. “It’s so hard to replace a Derrick Brown or Brian Burns, a pass rusher [and] an interior, dominant young player on a [first] contract. D.J., we didn’t want to move either. But it’s a little bit easier to replace a receiver than it is a pass rusher or a three-tech.”

Burns is entering his fifth-year option season, while Brown is going into Year 4. Both players arrived before Fitterer did, but the team has long planned to hammer out an extension with Burns. Fitterer’s comments on Burns’ value stand to strengthen the defensive end’s negotiating position. The Panthers are aiming to do a Burns extension after the draft. They will likely target receivers in the draft, though signings of Adam Thielen and DJ Chark lessen that need a bit.

Prior to pulling off the trade with the Bears, the Panthers discussed prospective deals with the Cardinals for the No. 3 pick and the Seahawks for the fifth choice. Neither negotiation gained much steam, per Person, even given Fitterer’s lengthy past in Seattle. The Colts also checked in with the Bears, according to Jahns and Fishbain. That certainly adds up, given Indianapolis’ post-Andrew Luck history and both Poles and Colts GM Chris Ballard having worked together in Kansas City.

The second-round picks exchanged here provided another interesting component in this seminal swap. The Bears wanted the Panthers’ No. 39 overall pick, according to The Athletic. Reluctant to part with it due to the gap that would exist between Carolina’s Nos. 1 and 61 overall picks, Fitterer counteroffered the 61st selection (obtained in the Christian McCaffrey trade) and a 2025 second. Instead of collecting one second-round pick, the Bears ended up with two in this trade — one that also will send Carolina’s 2024 first to Chicago. After David Tepper pushed for Deshaun Watson in 2021 and ’22, the Panthers determined this was the time to strike.

“I think when you’re at No. 9 — hopefully we’re not at No. 9 moving forward — this was an opportunity that we felt like, ‘Hey, this is the highest, hopefully, that we’re going to be in the future, so let’s take advantage of this, let’s be aggressive,” Panthers assistant GM Dan Morgan said, via the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye. “Let’s trade up and let’s try to go get our quarterback.”

Considering the Panthers have held top-10 picks from 2020-22, it is not as though holding the No. 9 choice was rare draft real estate for the struggling team. Matt Rhule led the charge for the Panthers to stay at No. 7 and pass on a QB in 2020, rather than leapfrog both the Dolphins and Chargers for Justin Herbert, and the Panthers — after a failed Matthew Stafford pursuit — traded for Sam Darnold in 2021. The 2022 draft featured a poorly regarded QB crop, leading to Carolina taking Ikem Ekwonu at No. 6.

As the Panthers determined they wanted a first-round QB, the Bears viewed this year’s crop as impressive but not to the point it would bail on Justin Fields and make him their avenue toward stockpiling future picks. Instead, the Bears will be targeting non-quarterback options at 9. Pass rusher will be a consideration.

“Play the percentage game, it’s probably a chance one [quarterback] slides in, but … there’s different tiers in the first round,” Poles said (via Jahns and Fishbain) of the prospect of more QBs going from Nos. 2-8 will help keep high-end position players on the board at 9. “There’s always that cut-off of ‘elite’ and then it’s ‘very good starters.’ I know we’ll be in range for the players that are going to be in that first round that kind of hit that value bucket and for our team are going to make us better.”

Panthers Will Discuss Brian Burns Extension After Draft

March 26th, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Rory Parks

Panthers edge defender Brian Burns is set to play out the 2023 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, which will pay him roughly $16MM. Given Burns’ talent and status as a cornerstone player, Carolina wants to keep him in the fold for the long haul, and GM Scott Fitterer recently said that he will explore an extension for Burns after the draft next month (Twitter link via David Newton of ESPN.com).

Burns, who will turn 25 several days before the draft, has solidified himself as one of the league’s best young pass rushers. Despite appearing in just 43% of the Panthers’ defensive snaps as a rookie in 2019, Burns tallied 7.5 sacks, and with increased playing time came increased production. From 2020-22, the Florida State product recorded nine, nine, and 12.5 sacks, and he has earned Pro Bowl acclaim in each of the past two seasons.

Understandably, Burns drew plenty of interest at the 2022 deadline, as Carolina had already traded star running back Christian McCaffrey and profiled as an obvious seller at the time. The Rams were particularly aggressive, offering 2024 and 2025 first-round picks and a 2023 second-rounder. Although Fitterer reportedly gave serious consideration to Los Angeles’ proposal, he ultimately elected to hold onto Burns, along with other young components of his defensive core like Derrick Brown, Jaycee Horn, and Jeremy Chinn.

The fact that the Panthers turned down such a massive haul will only increase Burns’ already considerable leverage in contract talks. Spotrac has suggested a four-year deal worth about $73MM is a fair estimate of Burns’ worth, but it seems reasonable to expect that Burns will do better than that. Earlier reports indicated that his next contract will top the five-year, $110MM pact that the Dolphins authorized for their deadline acquisition, Bradley Chubb, a deal that features over $63MM in guaranteed money.

Burns has not been as effective against the run as he has been against the pass, as his subpar Pro Football Focus run defense grades of 43.8 and 50.9 over the last two years would suggest. That could limit his earning power to some degree, though his pass-rushing acumen is the skill that will truly drive his asking price. Plus, the Panthers’ shift to a 3-4 front under new DC Ejiro Evero could improve Burns’ all-around performance, and if the team can draft or otherwise acquire a talented playmaker to take some pressure off of him, he could realize another boost in production.

Trade Deadline Notes: Burns, R. Smith, 49ers

November 6th, 2022 at 12:33pm CST by Rory Parks

The trade deadline passed on Tuesday, but reports of near-deals and trade talks featuring high-profile players continue to trickle in. Though the NFL trade deadline may never produce the anticipation that the MLB deadline seems to generate, NFL front offices are increasingly amenable to making deals, and this year’s deadline day brought with it 10 trades and 12 players changing teams, both league records. As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, that type of activity is wildly popular among fans and therefore good for business, and Yates’ ESPN colleague, Adam Schefter, says multiple clubs have reached out to the league office this week to discuss the possibility of moving future deadlines to later dates.

In 2012, the league pushed the deadline back two weeks, from the Tuesday after Week 6 to the Tuesday after Week 8. Another move could see the deadline moved to sometime after Week 10 or Week 12, which would presumably produce even more trades. The idea is that, the later the deadline, the more clarity teams will have with respect to their status as a playoff contender, which will lead to more trade activity. Schefter hears that the issue will be raised at the general manager committee meetings later this month.

Now for more fallout and other notes from this year’s deadline extravaganza:

Teams were perhaps most interested in improving their receiving talent at the deadline, as players like Chase Claypool, Calvin Ridley, Kadarius Toney, and T.J. Hockenson changed hands on or before deadline day, and big names like Brandin Cooks, Jerry Jeudy, DeAndre Hopkins, and D.J. Moore generated conversations as well. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the aggression on that front was inspired at least in part by a weak 2023 class of free agent receivers headlined by the likes of Jakobi Meyers, Deonte Harty, Nelson Agholor, Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. On a related note, Joel Corry of CBS Sports believes that, if the Saints choose to move on from Michael Thomas this offseason, they may find a number of suitors, despite Thomas’ recent injury woes (Twitter link).
It was indeed the Rams who were willing to trade two first-round picks to the Panthers in exchange for DE Brian Burns, as Jones writes in a separate piece. Confirming prior reports, Jones says Los Angeles offered its 2024 and 2025 first-round selections — the team is without a 2023 first-round pick to due to last year’s Matthew Stafford trade — and he adds that the club also included a 2023 second-round choice in its final proposal. Carolina gave serious consideration to the offer, but it ultimately elected to hold onto Burns, which will increase the player’s leverage in offseason extension talks. Per Jones, Burns is likely to land a deal that far exceeds the $110MM pact that the Dolphins recently authorized for their own deadline acquisition, Bradley Chubb.
Speaking of the Panthers, we learned earlier today that the club also turned down a first-round pick for Moore. The Panthers’ reticence to trade its young talent (aside from Christian McCaffrey, of course) was on full display at the deadline, and while the decisions to retain Moore and Burns were certainly defensible, every executive with whom Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post spoke was shocked that the club did not pull the trigger on Burns. “I can’t believe they turned [the Rams’ offer] down. Now they almost have to pay him whatever he wants because everyone knows they turned down two [first-round picks] for him,” one GM said. Apparently, cornerback Donte Jackson also drew some trade interest, though another GM said the Panthers were asking too much for him as well.
The 49ers‘ acquisition of McCaffrey will necessitate some “bean-counting creativity” from GM John Lynch this offseason, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle opines. The team’s impending cap crunch, intensified by McCaffrey’s $12MM cap hit for 2023, will make it more difficult for the club to retain QB Jimmy Garoppolo — though that may not have been in the cards anyway — and RT Mike McGlinchey.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus acknowledged that one of the reasons his team traded linebacker Roquan Smith is because of Smith’s lack of ball production relative to his peers, particularly the peers who have contracts that Smith wants to top, as Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Compared to fellow 2018 draftee and three-time First Team All-Pro Shaquille Leonard, for instance, Smith has five fewer interceptions (seven), 16 fewer forced fumbles (one), and six fewer fumble recoveries (one) over the course of his career.
The Lions‘ trade of Hockenson will naturally create more playing time for second-year pro Brock Wright — who is expected to step into the starting TE role — and fifth-round rookie James Mitchell, as Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website notes. Mitchell, who is still strengthening and rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered as a collegian at Virginia Tech in 2021, has played just 21 offensive snaps this season but offers big-play upside at the tight end position.

Rams Pursued OLB, OL, RB Help; Team Was Not In On Cooks, Hunt At Deadline

November 4th, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams’ success after in-season trades for Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller likely impacted other teams’ plans at this year’s deadline, but the defending Super Bowl champions sat out this year’s final stretch of trading. This was not due to roster contentment or lack of trying, however.

The 3-4 team is believed to have made a monster offer for Brian Burns and lost out to the 49ers for Christian McCaffrey, with a San Francisco fourth-round pick potentially being the difference for Carolina. But the Rams also pursued offensive line and wide receiver aid at this year’s deadline, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required).

Los Angeles has seen its offense crater this season. No Sean McVay-led Rams team has finished outside the top 11 in total offense; this year’s iteration ranks 30th. Injuries at almost every offensive line position, to starters and backups, have limited the Rams considerably. Allen Robinson not following the likes of Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham Jr. as quick studies in McVay’s attack has also affected the Rams, who rank 28th in scoring. The team opted not to swing a deal before Tuesday’s deadline, however.

Although the Browns discussed Kareem Hunt before the deadline, Rodrigue notes the Rams were not a serious suitor. The Eagles were believed to be the team that would have landed Hunt, if the Browns were legitimately interested in moving him. Shortly after a Monday-night blowout of the Bengals, the Browns seemed to back off on this front. Hunt is now set to play out his Cleveland contract ahead of free agency.

McVay has attempted a few backfield solutions this season, but none has done much to help the reigning champs’ cause. The Rams rank 31st in rushing and have not seen Cam Akers (three yards per carry) return to the form he showed before his July 2021 Achilles tear. They have seen left tackle Joe Noteboom, third-round rookie guard Logan Bruss and backup guard Tremayne Anchrum suffer season-ending injuries. The team has also played extensively without center Brian Allen, who has since returned, and left guard David Edwards (who has not). Right guard Coleman Shelton also remains on IR.

Akers, who said this week he did not request a trade, became a trade chip for the Rams. But they could not reach an agreement to unload the third-year back. Akers returned to practice this week and is not on L.A.’s injury report, clearing a path to an unexpected return to the Rams’ offense.

Additionally, the Rams were mentioned as interested in a Cooks reunion. They did pursue this, per Rodrigue, but were not in the running for the oft-traded wideout in the days leading up to the deadline. The Texans made it clear they were not planning to eat any of Cooks’ $18MM 2023 guarantee. This and an asking price of second- and fourth-round picks — more than they gave up to acquire Cooks from the Rams in 2020 — cooled down the market. Cooks, who is tied to a two-year deal worth $39MM he signed in April, is planning to rejoin the Texans after a trade-related dispute led to his missing their Thursday game.

The Rams have made big moves at the deadline under McVay. Their Dante Fowler acquisition in 2018 helped that edition to Super Bowl LIII. Ramsey and Austin Corbett (2019) made big differences in the 2020 and ’21 teams advancing in the playoffs, and Miller significantly moved the needle last season. The Rams have not replaced Miller, whom they aggressively attempted to retain in free agency, leading to the Burns pursuit.

The Rams did “everything they could” to try and land Burns, a GM informed the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. It is somewhat surprising the Panthers would turn down an offer of two first-round picks for a one-time Pro Bowler who has yet to post his first 10-sack season, the Rams would have needed to include 2024 and 2025 first-rounders. GM Scott Fitterer, who was hired during the Matt Rhule period, may not have been too keen on not picking up a prime 2023 asset in the deal. Reports of L.A.’s Burns offer being rebuffed will only bolster the fourth-year Carolina edge rusher’s extension value, when that time comes.

After seeing their Burns push fail, the Rams have not been mentioned as being involved in the Bradley Chubb sweepstakes. While they may well have been one of the 10-plus teams to call the Broncos on the then-contract-year pass rusher, the Dolphins including a first-round pick would have given the Rams — who again are without their 2023 first-rounder — an uphill battle.

Barring a long-rumored Beckham reunion, the Rams will attempt to defend their NFC West title without a splashy addition. They will enter their post-deadline stretch 1.5 games behind the surprising Seahawks.

Load More Posts