On Saturday, ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler gave us a bit of an idea of what the Carolina Panthers would want in a potential trade for Brian Burns. The “buy-in” for talks on the star defensive end, as he noted several times throughout the day, is at least two-first round picks.
And now, we know we should probably put an emphasis on the “at least” part.
Fowler’s colleague Adam Schefter reported early this morning that the Panthers have already rejected an offer of two first-round picks for the 24-year-old pass rusher.
“One team offered two first-round picks to the Panthers for Burns, league sources told ESPN,” Schefter wrote.
“The Panthers told that team, however, that they are not trading Burns, who is in the middle of his fourth NFL season on a deal that pays him $2.34 million in base salary this year.”
A similar stance also goes for a few of the franchise’s other young, budding standouts.
“Carolina also informed inquiring teams that it is not trading wide receiver DJ Moore, defensive lineman Derrick Brown and cornerback Jaycee Horn — all of whom the Panthers view as foundational players,” he added.
With Burns in line for a lucrative extension following this 2022 campaign, the Pro Bowl defender now has himself quite the bargaining chip. Because if he’s worth more than two first-rounders to the Panthers, than he must be worth a pretty penny of a new deal.
Either way, someone is going to pay up for Burns—whether that be through a “Godfather” offer or a big-money contract.
