Brian Burns

Giants acquired EDGE Brian Burns from the Panthers in exchange for second- and fifth-round picks.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the deal includes a five-year extension for Burns worth a “maximum” of $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed. Per RapSheet, it makes the 26-year-old (in April) the second highest paid edge rusher in the league. That trade return, of course, is far less than what the Panthers reportedly turned down from the Rams in 2022. One of the league’s premier pass rushers, Burns notched “just” nine sacks for last year’s terri-bad Panthers, but he has never recorded fewer than eight quarterback takedowns in five NFL seasons. It’s a jolting addition for what was a lackadaisical Giants pass rush in 2023. The G-Men are still a long way from good, but they just got a whole lot better for 2024 without surrendering a first-round pick.