Was it worth the wait?! The first day of free agency was downright depressing for the NY Giants, with Saquon Barkley agreeing to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles and Xavier McKinney getting ready to sign with the Green Bay Packers. Hopefully this latest update will put a smile on your face.
According to Ian Rapoport, the G-Men and general manager Joe Schoen have agreed to a trade with the Carolina Panthers for star pass-rusher Brian Burns. There had been growing speculation of late that the Giants could try and land the 6-5, 250-pounder and now people all over New Jersey and New York can celebrate what the front office has been able to get done.
In the end, the Giants gave Carolina a second-round pick, swapped fifth-round picks in 2024, plus a 2025 fifth-rounder for Burns. Schoen also broke the bank to bring Burns to East Rutherford, with the stud EDGE earning a five-year deal worth $150 million - $87.5 million of that is guaranteed.
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— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2024
Trade! The #Panthers are trading star Brian Burns — at last! — to the #Giants, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
Burns lands a 5-year deal worth $150M max with $87.5M guaranteed, done by Todd France of @AthletesFirst.
Carolina sends Burns to NYG for a 2nd and 5th rounders.… pic.twitter.com/UpdtdzB6s6
The Giants trading for Brian Burns is a major win for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll
The newest Giant, who was recently tagged by Carolina, earned Pro Bowl honors in two of the past three seasons. In 2022, Burns was an absolute force on the outside for Carolina, posting 63 total tackles and 12.5 sacks, both career highs. He followed that up with 50 tackles and eight sacks in 2023.
In his five years with the Panthers, Burns posted at least eight sacks in four campaigns (7.5 his rookie season). He's been quite steady in bringing quarterbacks down, something the Giants need more of. Kayvon Thibodeaux was an animal in '23 with his 11.5 sacks, but he can't do everything on his own.
No one can question that Azeez Ojulari has a ton of potential when healthy, but he's been quite banged up over the past two years. If Daboll can't rely on him to stay on the field, it's a massive problem for this team and new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
Luckily, this is where Burns can come in. He's got a motor that doesn't stop and he's got moves to make opposing offensive linemen look silly. The Giants needed to make a splash after losing Barkley and McKinney, and goodness they've done just that. Welcome to East Rutherford, Mr. Burns. Props to Schoen for making this happen.