Panthers tag 2-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Burns

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on edge rusher Brian Burns on Tuesday, guaranteeing their sack leader $24 million this season.

The move was expected after negotiations for a long-term deal, including a meeting with his agent last week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, stalled.

“We love Brian,” new general manager Dan Morgan said at the combine. “Brian’s a Panther, somebody that I know and that I’m close to.”

Burns is the first player the Panthers have used the tag on since 2021, when they put it on right tackle Taylor Moton, who signed a four-year, $72 million deal before the season began.

The goal remains to sign Burns to a long-term deal. Carolina also wants to re-sign free agent linebacker Frankie Luvu and sign defensive tackle Derrick Brown to a long-term deal.

Brown, the seventh pick of the 2020 draft, has an $11.6 million cap value as he heads into the fifth year of his rookie deal.

The Panthers attempted to sign Burns to a long-term deal following the 2022 season, when he had a career-high 12.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.

Talks broke down before the 2023 season, however, with Burns seeking to be paid among the highest edge rushers in the NFL with a deal that would average around $30 million a year, a league source with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN.

Burns’ sack total dropped to eight this past season, but the 2019 No. 16 draft pick out of Florida State said he still wanted to be paid among the top edge rushers, insisting he earned that right the previous season.

“Given our circumstances, it is what it is,” Burns said after the 2023 season. “But my feeling never changed from that point to now, because I put the work in four years prior to this.”

Burns, 25, also said that his sack total was impacted by the fact that the Panthers — who went a league-worst 2-15 this past season — could not hold a lead in the fourth quarter.

This also was his first full season as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme after spending most of his NFL career as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme.

His 46 sacks the past five seasons rank 13th in the NFL during that time span.

Other players the Panthers have used the tag on are cornerback Josh Norman (2016), defensive end Greg Hardy (2014), center Ryan Kalil (2011), defensive end Julius Peppers (2009), left tackle Jordan Gross (2008) and punter Todd Sauerbrun (2003). The tag was removed for Norman after he refused to sign it. He went on to sign a five-year, $75 million deal with Washington.

Also Tuesday, the Panthers informed tight end Hayden Hurst he will be released next week at the start of the league year, according to a league source.

Carolina signed Hurst last year to a three-year, $21,750,000 contract, including a $6,170,000 signing bonus with $13,000,000 guaranteed.

A first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, Hurst suffered a season-ending concussion of Week 10 last season.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano contributed to this report.