Getty Brian Burns could be a trade target for the Bears once again amid his ongoing contract dispute with the Panthers.
The Chicago Bears could have a new opportunity to get the Carolina Panthers back to the trade table to talk about a potential deal for elite pass rusher Brian Burns amid his ongoing contract dispute and hold-in with the team.
The Panthers remain unsure about whether Burns will be suiting up for them in their September 10 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons with the two-time Pro Bowler seeking a new contract and staging a hold-in — which, in this case, means Burns has skipped two consecutive practices despite being in attendance for team meetings.
“That was a personal matter, I’ll defer to him on that,” Panthers head coach Frank Reich said September 4 when asked about Burns missing Monday’s practice. He later added, “I’m just worried about getting my team ready to play Atlanta. Do I hope he is there? Absolutely, I hope he is there. If he’s not there, I’m not worried about it.”
If Burns is committed to getting a new contract before setting foot back on the field, though, the Bears could have a window of opportunity to revisit one of the players they originally targetted in their No. 1 overall pick trade talks with the Panthers in March.
According to The Athletic, Bears general manager Ryan Poles was interested in three specific players — including Burns — during his trade conversations with the Panthers before ultimately pulling the trigger on a deal that landed Chicago wide receiver D.J. Moore and a haul of high-value draft picks. Should the situation worsen with Burns, he would have all the motivation in the world to call Carolina about his availability.
Brian Burns Would Be Long-Term Solution for Bears
The Bears trading for Burns would be a blockbuster move on the level of the previous regime’s deal for Khalil Mack. He is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl season for the Panthers in 2022 and tied for the eighth-most sacks (12.5) in the NFL while reaching a double-digit total for the first time in his career. At 25, he is also just now entering his prime, making him a potential cornerstone piece for a rebuilding team.
The Bears did some work renovating their defensive end position for the 2023 season, ditching former starter Trevis Gipson and adding Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green in his place. Ngakoue, however, is the only proven pass rusher of the bunch and is only signed to a one-year deal, as is Green. In other words, Walker and Dominique Robinson could be the only names still on the roster when 2024 arrives.
If the Bears want to find a long-term solution at the position now, it would make a lot of sense for Poles to make a call about Burns’ availability and gauge the Panthers’ interest in moving on from him. The Bears would almost certainly have to give up a first-round pick, at a minimum, to get him, but they do have two first-rounders and two fourth-rounders in 2024 along with a pair of second-round selections in 2025.
The Bears are also in an ideal spot, cap-wise, to offer Burns the extension he desires. According to Over the Cap, they are projected to have the second-most cap space in the NFL in 2024 — about $97.77 million — and would have little difficulty making Burns one of the top five highest-paid players at his position, a range that currently falls between $23.5 million (Maxx Crosby) and about $28 million (T.J. Watt) annually.
The Bears might prefer to see how the first half of the 2023 season goes with their new personnel, but if the results are underwhelming, they could be aggressive suitors for Burns if his situation does not improve with the Panthers before the trade deadline.
Bears Could Wait Until 2024 Free Agency to Add Vet
Given their long-term future at defensive end, the Bears should be calling about every single high-level pass rusher who could be available for trade in the next few months. Even if the Bears are rebuffed or the cost of trading is deemed too high, it is an essential part of the due diligence process to at least inquire about their availability.
In the end, though, Poles might find it more beneficial to wait it out and see which of the veteran pass rushers seeking new contracts end up hitting free agency in 2024.
If Burns is unable to reach an agreement with the Panthers and plays out the 2023 season on his $16 million fifth-year option, the Bears could have a chance to add him without giving up any of their precious draft resources next March. And if he does remain with Carolina, the market still projects to have several appealing options.
San Francisco’s Nick Bosa — who is currently holding out from the 49ers and could miss the start of the season — is another elite name to watch for the 2024 offseason. Niners general manager John Lynch has been adamant that Bosa will not be traded, but the Bears would have both the need and cap resources to make a compelling offer to Bosa if San Francisco was foolish enough to let him hit the open market next year.
The 2024 pass-rusher market is also currently set to include Minnesota’s Danielle Hunter, Green Bay’s Rashan Gary and Jacksonville’s Josh Allen as well as both of Washington’s starting pass rushers, Montez Sweat and Chase Young. Some of them are bound to sign extensions before then, but Poles might not have much interest in a trade if he has a shot at even two or three of them in next year’s free agency period.