Did the Carolina Panthers botch Brian Burns trade negotiations with New York Giants?

Brian Burns

The New York Giants had a hectic offseason. In the same week GM Joe Schoen saw star running back Saquon Barkley sign with a division rival, he conducted a blockbuster trade to land Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers.

In doing so, the Giants parted with a second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and a swap of fifth-round selections. They also handed Burns a fresh contract, worth $141 million over five years. The contract is what it is, as the market rate for a two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher who’s still just 26. But now there’s a sense that the Panthers could have gotten a much better haul from the Giants.

Next month’s Hard Knocks, which focuses on the Giants’ offseason, will include more detail, but for now, we have a trailer that previews what’s to come. Buried within this reveal was a juicy tidbit about the Giants’ trade negotiations for Burns with Carolina about how New York’s management felt he would cost a lot more via trade than they ended up paying.

“What about Brian Burns, have you looked at Brian Burns? We would have to trade, like, two twos, and then you’d have to pay him, $28-$29 million,” Schoen told Daboll.

Giants GM Joe Schoen on Brian Burns trade (h/t Pro Football Talk)

Schoen’s view of the situation was seemingly accurate, as the Panthers previously rejected multiple trade offers for their young pass-rusher. Some offers even included multiple first-round picks.

While it wasn’t the best season of his career, Burns still racked up eight sacks, 16 TFL, and a forced fumble last season, so it’s not like his ‘stock’ dipped drastically. Yet, maybe the Panthers were just finally ready to move on, knowing they wouldn’t be meeting Burns’s contract demands while seeing the opportunity to get younger and hopefully improve their roster in the long run thanks to their newfound draft compensation.

Yet, still, based on this clip, it appears the Panthers could have gotten a lot more from the Giants at the negotiation table.

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