The Carolina Panthers and outside linebacker Brian Burns couldn’t come up with a number during contract negotiations this past offseason. So, a former NFL executive just did.
Jeff Diamond, the former general manager of the Minnesota Vikings and team president of the Tennessee Titans, recently predicted the mega-deals for this year’s top free agents. Here, per The 33rd Team, is what he thinks a pact between the Panthers and their two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher could look like:
It makes sense for the Panthers to franchise tag Burns and negotiate a long-term deal — four years, $100 million, with more than half guaranteed. As a former Pro Bowl linebacker, new Carolina general manager Dan Morgan doesn’t want to lose one of his top defensive players.
As Diamond notes, the franchise tag is very much a possibility. If Carolina decides to go that route, Burns will essentially be on a one-year, $21.9 million deal for the 2024 season.
If Morgan and the Panthers do what former general manager Scott Fitterer couldn’t, a four-year, $100 million agreement would put Burns in the upper echelon of annual value at his position. At $25 million per year, only Nick Bosa, T.J. Watt and Joey Bosa would be earning more.
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