After losing Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney on the free agent market Monday afternoon, the New York Giants pivoted to the trade market to support their defense.
Signing Jermaine Eluemunor, Devin Singletary, and Jon Runyan to support the offense, the defense desperately needs another pass-rusher to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux after failing to develop Azeez Ojulari, who has been impacted significantly by injury.
The Giants Execute a Blockbuster Trade
The Giants and the Carolina Panthers struck a deal late on Monday to send star pass-rusher Brian Burns to New York. Burns is coming off a solid season with the Carolina Panthers in 2023, collecting 40 pressures and nine sacks to go with 32 stops.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Giants will send 2nd and 5th-round picks in exchange for the defender.
The 25-year-old is in line for a massive extension, and the Giants will dish out the money to lock down one of the league’s best pass rushers. Burns is set to sign a 5-year, $150 million deal, including $87.5 million guaranteed.
Last season, Burns ranked 11th in pass-rush win rate, earning a 21% success rate, according to ESPN. Burns was only double-teamed 14% of the time, the lowest of the group, with Micah Parsons ranking the highest at 35% with a 35% pass-rush win rate.
Burns has the potential to continue developing and become an even more dominant player. The Giants are hopeful that defensive line coach Andre Patterson can take him to another level, having worked alongside Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffin in the past with the Minnesota Vikings.
A defensive front composed of Burns, Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence will certainly cause havoc for opposing offenses and provide new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen with a strong unit to operate behind.
Of course, the Giants now have to figure out their offensive game plan, adding a running back and offensive guard but needing more support at multiple positions.
Ideally, they would find a young quarterback to reset the rookie window and allocate more salary space toward positions of need, notably right tackle, and potentially add a receiver next off-season. However, the 2024 NFL Draft is stacked full of receiving talent, and the Giants could address the position in a second round, having already added a top tier EDGE defender in Burns.