Brian Burns keeps stacking up the kind of recognition that makes Carolina’s decision to move him look worse by the day.
The former Panthers pass rusher was included in ESPN’s top 10 edge rushers in the NFL this year, based on an anonymous poll of league executives, coaches and scouts. It’s another strong line on a résumé that has only grown since Carolina sent him to the New York Giants in 2024 for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick.
Burns’ production made the move sting. Senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler noted that Burns “put it all together in Year 7, finishing second in the league with 16.5 sacks on his way to a second-team All-Pro nod.
The sack total was the highest by a Giants player since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011... Burns' 31 quarterback hits in 2025 ranked fourth among all defensive players.
He was the NFL's lone player with five multiple-sack games last season. Burns was a top-10 selection in past years before falling to honorable mention in 2025.”
For Carolina, the problem has only gotten uglier without him. The Panthers finished the 2024 season with 32 sacks, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL, and then tied for 30th in the league again last year with 30.
That’s why the Panthers attacked the issue in free agency, handing outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips a four-year, $120 million contract. If Phillips can bring the kind of disruption Burns did, Carolina may eventually stop thinking about the trade every time the pass rush disappears.
Phillips, though, didn’t crack ESPN’s list. He also missed out on an honorable mention and instead landed in the “Also receiving votes” category.
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Jaycee Horn Looks Like A Star Until One Problem Shows Up
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Panthers Get National Respect But One Bryce Young Question Lingers
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The bigger question now sits at quarterback, where Bryce Young remains the franchises most important variable. ESPNs Jeremy Fowler reported the Panthers are not expected to push for an extension this offseason, choosing instead to take a wait-and-see approach as Youngs future with the team continues to unfold. For a club trying to prove last season was more than a one-year spike, that kind of patience says plenty about where the organization thinks the real uncertainty still lives. [Read more 🡒]