Panthers place franchise tag on Brian Burns: 3 thoughts on big move before free agency

The Panthers have taken their first step toward retaining Brian Burns for the foreseeable future — or trading him for a substantial return.

Tuesday, Carolina placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Burns, the team announced. The non-exclusive tag can help the Panthers control Burns’ free agency outlook this offseason, while still giving the pass rusher an opportunity to negotiate with other squads.

The tag comes with a 1-year, $24 million contract attached to it. Burns can choose to sign the contract and return on that short-term pact, or he can shop his services elsewhere with the Panthers getting the right to first refusal on an offer sheet.

If a team were to sign Burns to an offer sheet, the Panthers could retain Burns on an identical contract offer. If Carolina were to pass on the offer sheet, the team acquiring Burns would need to send two first-round picks to the Panthers.

The Panthers could also work out a trade with another team for adjusted return value if Carolina and Burns can’t reach an agreement. The franchise tag’s entire total will count against the Panthers’ salary cap until a contract extension or a trade is completed. So, Burns has the leverage to impair the Panthers’ free agency plans, if he holds out from signing the tag’s contract.

Burns, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, is coming off a down year by his standards. An elbow injury hindered Burns’ success in the middle of the 2023 season, and he finished with just eight sacks on the year. He previously produced 12.5 sacks in 2022, which led to his second Pro Bowl berth.

Still just 25, Burns has enticing upside. He’s a notably accomplished pass rusher entering his prime, even if he didn’t have the best first season in defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s system.

With a lack of other top talents on the Panthers’ roster, tagging Burns was a no-brainer move, regardless of the ultimate outcome.

Here are three thoughts on the move to tag Burns:

This move was seemingly inevitable

The Panthers couldn’t allow Burns to walk for nothing, especially as new GM Dan Morgan looks to establish a winning culture in Carolina.

The team, under former GM Scott Fitterer, infamously turned down a mega-trade package from the Los Angeles Rams for Burns in 2022. The offer included two first-round picks and more, and the Panthers passed on the swap with the idea that Burns was a cornerstone player.

However, the Panthers failed to meet Burns’ contract demands last season, and the negotiations have dragged into a new regime this offseason.

Burns is coming off a forgettable campaign — for him, specifically — so it’s not like he had a ton of leverage coming into the offseason. But with the tag now in place, Burns and his agent can attempt to hold back the Panthers’ free agency plans because of the pass rusher’s large cap number. A long-term contract extension would ultimately benefits both sides — cap relief for the Panthers and long-term financial security for Burns, among other perks.

It’s important that new EVP of football operations Brandt Tilis acts logically (and quickly) with negotiations ahead of free agency.

This contract situation will be Tilis’s first major challenge on the job, and finding a solution that benefits the team for the long haul needs to be the goal. The Panthers shouldn’t just bend to Burns’ demands, but the front office also needs to be mindful that Burns is a top-three player on the team, and his cap number could put a stranglehold on their ability to upgrade multiple positions if the tag lingers into free agency.

If the Panthers plan to tag and trade Burns, they should try to find a partner before the launch of free agency on March 13. The team isn’t likely to see the same return for Burns as they would have received from the Rams in 2022, but netting at least a first-round pick would be ideal in any trade for Burns.

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Panthers can lighten their cap load to make the tag more palatable

The Panthers have a few different avenues to make Burns’ franchise tag less harmful to their overall cap outlook.

Tilis could take the “easy” way out and restructure a bunch of contracts to lower cap numbers at the top of the team’s pay scale. However, that strategy would hinder future spending by pushing debt into 2025. That might not be the most sound solution for a team facing a rebuild of sorts.

Tilis could also look to cut a few high-priced veterans. Cornerback Donte Jackson ($5.93 million), right tackle Taylor Moton ($5.25 million), safety Xavier Woods ($4.5 million), tight end Ian Thomas ($2.26 million)and wide receiver Terrace Marshall ($1.44 million) would all provide cap relief as cap casualties. But cutting those players would also create major roster holes that the Panthers would need to address.

Woods and Moton, in particular, seem more likely for contract extensions than outright releases, even with the reshaped front office overseeing things.

The Panthers can also lower cap numbers for Woods, Moton and defensive lineman Derrick Brown with contract extensions. Brown, coming off his first Pro Bowl, is set to play on his fifth-year option, which is worth a fully guaranteed $11.7 million (which is also his cap number for 2024). A contract extension could lower that number by as much as $8.43 million. An extension for Moton could lower his cap number by as much as $13 million, while a bigger deal for Woods could lead to cap savings of $2.63 million, according to Over the Cap.

Tilis, no matter which approach he takes, is in for a busy month of March.

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All eyes on Frankie Luvu

With the tag on Burns, the Panthers can now focus their immediate attention on do-everything linebacker Frankie Luvu. The versatile defender is set to test the open market, and he should be able to cash in on back-to-back career seasons in Carolina.

Luvu is a leader on defense and he plays multiple positions for the Panthers. Luvu’s versatility helps Evero at two thin positions — inside and outside linebacker — and his energy is something the defense feeds off of on Sundays. The Panthers should do everything — within reason — to retain Luvu.

The Panthers need to upgrade their depth at inside and outside linebacker, and Luvu’s outlook should impact the work done at both spots this offseason. If he returns, the Panthers will need less heavy lifting at both spots.

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