When he's not holding player-only defensive meetings, New York Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns is annihilating opposing offenses' schemes, lines, and spirit. Such is the life for the league's third-highest sack producer through six weeks.
General manager Joe Schoen took a massive gamble in the 2024 offseason. He swung a blockbuster deal with the Carolina Panthers for Burns, immediately giving him a five-year, $141 million extension. The move caught a lot of attention, and a 8.5 sack ensuing performance didn't exactly paint Schoen in the best light. But that's old news.
The 27-year-old has been a revelation in 2025. All signs pointed to a massive breakout from the former Florida State standout during training camp, but to see him put practice to production in real time is something special. It's not only defensive results he's giving Giants fans — it's hope.
Brian Burns has been the Giants' best player in 2025
For years, this has been a directionless franchise, looking more like a runaway train than anything that remotely resembled something consistent or deliberate. It was a throw it at the wall and see what sticks approach, with many feeling that's what the Burns trade was.
Well, I hope those critics are hungry, because it's time to eat their words.
The veteran pass-rusher is enjoying an unreal start to his seventh campaign. He's on pace for truly elite numbers (rounded up):
First six weeks | 17-game pace | |
|---|---|---|
Sacks | 7.0 | 20 |
Tackles | 30 | 85 |
Tackles for loss | 9 | 25.5 |
Quarterback hits | 11 | 31 |
Quarterback pressures | 16 | 45 |
You don't have to be a math major to realize those are insane numbers for six games of production, and even more insane for a season. That's a Pro Bowl nod, a First-Team All-Pro selection, and a Defensive Player of the Year campaign if I've ever seen one.
The numbers tell a great story, but that's not what makes him the team's MVP through six weeks. It's not even his leadership, which has been on full display. It's his effort.
His effort has just been on another level in 2025. He was a two-time Pro Bowler in Carolina, but the way he's playing in Year 2 in Giants blue just looks and feels different. His willingness to line up in different positions along the defensive front to accommodate Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter has allowed the pass-rush to flourish — which is where the strength of this defense lies.
It's that selflessness, along with his elite play, that easily makes him the Giants' most valuable player. Fans can only hope he keeps up the torrid pace. He’s not just the Giants’ most valuable player — he’s quickly becoming one of the NFL’s most dangerous defenders.