In a 2025 season that saw its fair share of defensive struggles for the New York Giants, Brian Burns proved to be the blue-chip investment Joe Schoen envisioned.
Burns spent his Sundays wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks, establishing himself as a true cornerstone of the Giants’ future.
In his second season since that blockbuster trade with Carolina, the star edge rusher put up a monster stat line that not only led the team but firmly placed his name alongside the most legendary pass rushers to ever wear Big Blue.
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A Career-Year for Brian Burns
Brian Burns finished the 2025 regular season with a career-high 16.5 sacks, a total that solidified his status as one of the most feared defenders in the NFL.
Entering the final stretch of the season, Burns was locked in a high-stakes race for the sack title, ultimately finishing second in the league behind only Myles Garrett, who capped off a record-setting 23-sack campaign.
Despite the Giants’ overall record, Burns remained a model of consistency, logging sacks in 11 of 17 games and producing five multi-sack performances. His 52.4% share of the Giants’ total sacks through Week 9 represented one of the highest individual impacts in the league since J.J. Watt’s 2014 Defensive Player of the Year run.
He also finished the season with 51 total pressures, 22 tackles for loss, 67 combined tackles, 7 pass defenses, 31 quarterback hits, and 3 forced fumbles.
Burns’s efforts secured him a trip to the Pro Bowl Games for the third time in his career.
Climbing the Giants’ Mount Rushmore
By reaching the 16.5-sack mark, Burns didn’t just break his personal record; he vaulted himself into the elite tier of Giants history. His 2025 total ties him with Jason Pierre-Paul (2011) for the fourth-most sacks in a single season since the stat became official in 1982.
He now trails only Michael Strahan’s record-breaking 22.5 (2001), Lawrence Taylor’s 20.5 (1986), and Strahan’s 18.5 (2003). For a franchise defined by its lineage of dominant edge rushers, Burns has officially earned his seat at the table, becoming just the fifth Giant to ever record at least 16 sacks in a single season.
The Foundation for the New Regime
The significance of Burns’ 16.5 sacks extends beyond the record books—it provides a crucial blueprint for whoever Joe Schoen hires as the head coach to lead this team in 2026.
While the Giants spent much of the year looking for a consistent second option opposite him, Burns proved he could carry the pass-rush load almost single-handedly.
With rookie Abdul Carter showing flashes of brilliance late in the year and Dexter Lawrence continuing to command double-teams inside, the Giants’ defensive front remains their greatest asset. Burns isn’t just a high-priced veteran; he is the high-motor engine that will make this defense go as they transition into a new era of New York football.
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