With the NFL’s trade deadline just a few weeks away, the Carolina Panthers could be looking to position themselves for the long run. And according to one league insider, that long run may not include a few key names.
Sports Illustrated senior NFL reporter Albert Breer published his latest set of news and notes on Friday, which included an interesting nugget on the Panthers. Breer notes that Carolina, at 0-5, may be willing to part with some valuable assets in exchange for future draft capital.
The first name that pops up, of course, is outside linebacker Brian Burns. Breer writes:
Conversation there starts with Brian Burns. He’s up after this year and owed more than eight figures for the remainder of the season (prorated portion of his $16.01 million). But he’s also just 25 and plays a premium position. Last year the Panthers turned down an absolute haul (a 2023 third-rounder and first-rounders in ’24 and ’25) to get him. And the Panthers and Burns haven’t gotten close to striking a long-term deal.
A team trading for him could, of course, do a new deal with him, or franchise him in 2024.
With no long-term extension seemingly in sight, Burns is playing through the 2023 campaign on his fifth-year option. The two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher currently leads the team with 4.0 sacks and five tackles for a loss.
Breer then goes on to mention a trio of players who he believes may be on the trading block:
After that, there are three guys I’ve heard are available—safety Jeremy Chinn, receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. and corner Donte Jackson. Chinn is an interesting hybrid linebacker who’d fit some teams better than others, has lost playing time in the switch to Ejiro Evero’s scheme and is in a contract year. Marshall’s a second-rounder who has talent but has yet to really find his footing as a pro. And Jackson’s a really good corner who’s signed through 2024 at a reasonable price (about $4.2 million for the rest of this year and $10.6 million next year).
As the dangerous Miami Dolphins sit on deck for this Sunday, the Panthers are potentially staring down the barrel of an 0-6 start heading into their Week 7 bye. So, with the deadline exactly 18 days away, it may soon be time to make some moves.
