The Los Angeles Rams really want Brian Burns, badly enough that they’d be willing to go another two years without a first-round pick. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated previously said the Rams made a “substantial offer” for Burns. Adam Schefter also reported the Panthers turned down two-first round picks from a team.
Connecting the dots, it was the Rams who made that offer to Carolina, according to Breer. He shared that bit of news on ESPN1000’s “Kap and J Hood” radio show Tuesday morning.
.@AlbertBreer just confirmed it was the Los Angeles Rams who offered multiple first-round picks to the Carolina Panthers for Brian Burns.
I can't believe Carolina didn't take that trade.
— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) November 1, 2022
It’s likely that the Panthers turned down the Rams’ offer of two first-rounders because they would come in 2024 and 2025, not this coming year. They traded their 2023 first-round pick to the Lions in the Matthew Stafford trade.
So as enticing as that offer should have been for Carolina, a team rebuilding, the lack of a first-rounder next year was probably the problem. Will the Panthers change their mind if they don’t get a better offer before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline?
Who knows, but it’s not a great look for Carolina – nor is it for the Rams for offering that much. That’s a high price to pay for a player with just two years left on his rookie deal, especially for a team that doesn’t look like a Super Bowl contender this season.