The New York Giants have been paying Brian Burns like he’s 1 of the NFL’s best edge rushers since they signed him to a 5-year, $141 million contract extension before the 2024 season.
In 2026, for the 1st time in his career, Burns has finally done enough to say he actually is 1 of them.
Burns’ career-high 16.5 sacks in 2025 earned him NFL All-Pro honors for the 1st time despite playing on 1 of the NFL’s worst teams, and it also earned him the No. 9 spot among edge rushers in ESPN’s annual preseason position rankings.
The rankings come from an anonymous vote of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts — including 1 who said Burns was a “pain in the ass to play against” after generally falling short of his potential early in his career.
“Burns put it all together in Year 7, finishing second in the league with 16.5 sacks on his way to a second-team All-Pro nod,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 8. “The sack total was the highest by a Giants player since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011. Burns’ talent was obvious when he entered the league in 2019. But production has been spotty throughout his career, and some evaluators wanted to see him routinely play with more power … Burns’ 31 quarterback hits in 2025 ranked fourth among all defensive players. He was the NFL’s lone player with five multiple-sack games last season. Burns was a top-10 selection in past years before falling to honorable mention in 2025.”
Giants Made Big-Time Move to Obtain Burns
Burns, 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, was drafted in the 1st round (No. 19 overall) by the Carolina Panthers in the 2019 NFL draft, and the Giants traded their 2024 2nd-round pick and a pair of 2025 5th-round picks for him in March 2024.
Burns was pretty good in 2024 with 71 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 17 TFL, 8 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, and 17 QB hits. He was unquestionably great in 2025 with 67 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 22 TFL, 7 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and 31 QB hits.
The problem has been that the Giants have been run more like a rundown pawn store than an actual NFL team in that time. Burns hasn’t missed a game in the last 2 seasons — a stretch in which his team has gone 7-27.
If there is 1 thing Burns has grown accustomed to in his NFL career, it’s losing. Through his 1st 7 seasons, he’s yet to play on a team with a winning record, and the teams he’s played on are a staggering 34-83 overall with him on the roster.
Something’s Gotta Give for Giants at Edge Rusher
Despite Ohio State star Arvell Reese openly saying he didn’t want to play off-ball linebacker in the NFL and wanted to be drafted as an edge rusher, the Giants went ahead and used the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Reese and told him he was going to play … off-ball linebacker.
It’s a draft strategy that makes even less sense when you consider the Giants used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft on edge rusher Abdul Carter … and used the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
To say the Giants have failed at anything resembling competent roster construction is like saying the Titanic’s captain failed at sailing his ship.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love the player, but like, where do you play?” Giants Pro Bowl wide receiver Malik Nabers said on a livestream after Reese was selected. “(Reese) wants to be on the outside and rush, but we just drafted somebody last year to do that same position.”
Vote Puts ‘Pain in the Ass’ $141 Million Giants Star Among NFL Elite