Giants Acquire Pass Rusher Brian Burns from Panthers in Trade for Running Back Saquon Barkley

New York, NY United States of America
Azeez Ojulari was hurt for most of last season and the Giants totaled only 34 sacks which were the fifth-fewest in the NFL
Brian Burns led the Carolina Panthers in sacks for a second straight year
Burns is never missed more than one game in each of his five NFL seasons
The Giants wanted to add to their pass rush as they needed a bookend to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux
Giants Acquire Pass Rusher Brian Burns from Panthers in Trade for Running Back Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants are acquiring pass rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Monday. The trade will be official when the league year begins on Wednesday.

Burns led the team in sacks (eight) for a second straight year, adding 18 quarterback hits, 16 tackles for loss, two passes defended and a forced fumble. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and finished with a career-high of 12.5 sacks in that season.

The Giants wanted to add to their pass rush as they needed a bookend to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux, who broke out with 11.5 sacks in 2023 while playing in all 17 games. With Azeez Ojulari hurt for most of last season, the Giants totaled only 34 sacks which were the fifth-fewest in the NFL.

The Panthers were one of the teams below them on that list with 27 sacks and they ranked 29th in points allowed. Burns was not an issue there but his production dropped off a bit, he still led the team in sacks (eight) for a second straight year.

The Panthers resisted giving Burns a long-term deal. He played last season on the fifth-year option salary and sat out few preseason practices to try to leverage a new deal but it never arrived.

Burns is 26 years old in April, he has 46 sacks, 95 QB hits, 59 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles and two recoveries (one TD return) in his career. He's never missed more than one game in each of his five NFL seasons.

The Giants are set to lose free-agent running back Saquon Barkley to the rival Eagles but they quickly pivoted to reach an agreement with running back Devin Singletary and now are slated to add a major piece to their defense in Burns.



Confidence

80%

Doubts
  • It's not clear if this trade was necessary for the Giants, as they already have Kayvon Thibodeaux on their roster.

Sources

63%

  • Unique Points
    • , The Giants gave Burns a new contract: a five-year deal worth a maximum of $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed, per NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
    • Burns led the team in sacks (eight) for a second straight year, adding 18 quarterback hits, 16 tackles for loss, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.
  • Accuracy
    • The Giants gave Burns a new contract: a five-year deal worth a maximum of $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed, per NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
    • He will get $76 million fully guaranteed when he signs his new deal, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article suggests that the Giants are trading for Brian Burns from the Panthers when in fact they have agreed to a contract with him. Secondly, it states that Burns will get $76 million fully guaranteed when he signs his new deal but does not mention what this amount is out of or how much money is being allocated towards his salary. Thirdly, the article mentions that the Panthers used their franchise tag on Burns last week and received second- and fifth-round selections in return for him, but it fails to disclose any information about these picks such as what they are worth or who will be selecting them. Lastly, the article states that Burns led the team in sacks (eight) for a second straight year but does not provide context on how this compares to other players in his position or if he was able to achieve this feat despite playing with an injured Azeez Ojulari.
    • The article mentions that the Panthers used their franchise tag on Burns last week and received second- and fifth-round selections in return for him, but it fails to disclose any information about these picks such as what they are worth or who will be selecting them. This is deceptive because it gives the reader an incomplete picture of the value that Burns has brought to his team.
    • The article states that Burns led the team in sacks (eight) for a second straight year but does not provide context on how this compares to other players in his position or if he was able to achieve this feat despite playing with an injured Azeez Ojulari. This is deceptive because it gives the reader an inflated view of Burns' performance and makes him seem like a more valuable player than he actually is.
    • The article mentions that Burns will get $76 million fully guaranteed when he signs his new deal but does not mention what this amount is out of or how much money is being allocated towards his salary. This is deceptive because it gives the reader an incomplete picture of Burns' contract and makes it seem like he has been given a significant amount of money without providing any context.
    • The title of the article suggests that the Giants are trading for Brian Burns from the Panthers when in fact they have agreed to a contract with him. This is deceptive because it implies that there will be some sort of trade involved, but no such trade has been made.
  • Fallacies (70%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (85%)
    The article is biased towards the New York Giants and their acquisition of Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers. The author uses language that portrays Burns as a valuable addition to the Giants' defense, such as calling him a 'bookend' and stating that he will be able to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux. Additionally, the article highlights how much money is being spent on Burns' contract while downplaying any potential risks or drawbacks of acquiring him.
    • Burns will get $76 million fully guaranteed when he signs his new deal
      • But with Azeez Ojulari hurt for most of last season, the Giants totaled only 34 sacks
        • The Giants are acquiring pass rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
          The article discusses the trade between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers for linebacker Brian Burns. The author Eric Edholm is a reporter with NFL Network Insiders who covers news related to the National Football League (NFL). There are several examples of conflicts of interest in this article.
          • Burns was selected in the second round by Carolina Panthers which is one of their rivals with New York Giants and this could affect Edholm's objectivity while reporting on this topic.
            • The article mentions that Rapoport and Garafolo, two other NFL Network insiders, reported on the details of Burns' contract. This suggests a potential conflict of interest as they may have financial ties to the NFL or its teams.
            • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication

            64%

            • Unique Points
              • , The two sides had until mid-July to negotiate a long-term contract, but Carolina ultimately decided its best course was to trade him.
              • He finished the 2023 season with 50 total tackles and eight sacks, but made it clear that he wanted to be paid among the top edge-rushers.
            • Accuracy
              • The two sides had until mid-July to negotiate a long-term contract, but Carolina ultimately decided its best course was to trade him.
            • Deception (30%)
              The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Brian Burns was one of Carolina's best defensive players when he was traded to the Giants. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article and can be seen as an opinion rather than a factual claim.
              • The author states that Brian Burns was one of Carolina's best defensive players without providing any evidence or context for this claim.
            • Fallacies (75%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Bias (85%)
              The article contains a statement that implies the Carolina Panthers were trying to sign Brian Burns to an extension before talks broke down in September. This is not true as there was no mention of any negotiations between the two sides prior to this point.
              • [], []
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                Doric Sam has a conflict of interest on the topics of Brian Burns and NFL trade as they are reporting on a topic in which they have financial ties. The article mentions that Doric Sam is owned by Bleacher Report, which is part of Turner Sports. Turner Sports owns several sports teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
                • Doric Sam reports on a topic in which they have financial ties.
                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication

                83%

                • Unique Points
                  • The Giants used the franchise tag on edge rusher Brian Burns last week.
                  • Burns will need to sign the franchise tag in order for a trade to take place and that will call for him and the Giants to come to agreement on the long-term deal that Burns has been unable to land in Carolina.
                • Accuracy
                  • The Giants used the franchise tag on edge rusher Brian Burns last week, but he may be moving on this week.
                  • There's optimism that a deal can get done, but nothing has been finalized at this point.
                  • The Panthers placed the nonexclusive tag on Burns prior to the deadline, guaranteeing him $24 million for the 2024 season.
                • Deception (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Fallacies (85%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Bias (75%)
                  The article is biased towards the Giants as it portrays them in a positive light by stating that they are interested in acquiring Brian Burns. The author also uses language such as 'big addition to the defense' which implies that Burns would be an improvement for the Giants, further biasing the article.
                  • The Giants have said goodbye to running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney on Monday,
                  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                    None Found At Time Of Publication
                  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                    None Found At Time Of Publication

                  73%

                  • Unique Points
                    • The Giants will be the team to pay the franchise-tagged player now.
                    • New York will give Burns his long-sought-after extension, signing off on a five-year deal worth up to $150MM. The contract includes $87.5MM in guarantees.
                    • Burns has tallied at least 7.5 sacks in each of his NFL slates and totaled eight last year.
                    • The Giants will pay up for Burns to go with Thibodeaux's rookie deal, which can run through 2026 via the fifth-year option.
                    • Burns has not been a top-tier edge rusher, having recorded one 10+ sack season (12.5 in 2022) in his five-year career.
                  • Accuracy
                    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
                  • Deception (30%)
                    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the Giants will be paying Burns' franchise tag but does not disclose how much they are actually paying him. Secondly, it implies that Burns has been a top-tier edge rusher when he has only recorded one 10+ sack season in his career and is ranked 12th in the NFL since 2019. Thirdly, it states that the Giants will pay up for Burns to go with Thibodeaux's rookie deal but does not disclose how much they are actually paying him.
                    • The article implies that Burns has been a top-tier edge rusher when he has only recorded one 10+ sack season in his career and is ranked 12th in the NFL since 2019. This is deceptive because it misrepresents Burns' performance as an elite player.
                    • The article states that the Giants will be sending the Panthers second- and fifth-round picks for Burns, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports. However, this information is not accurate as there are no details about what these picks are worth or how they were acquired.
                    • The article states that the Giants will pay up for Burns to go with Thibodeaux's rookie deal but does not disclose how much they are actually paying him. This is deceptive because it implies that Burns is worth a significant amount of money without providing any context or justification.
                  • Fallacies (75%)
                    None Found At Time Of Publication
                  • Bias (75%)
                    The article is biased towards the Giants and their acquisition of Brian Burns. The author uses language that portrays the Giants as making a smart move by acquiring Burns at a reasonable price while also giving him an extension. Additionally, the author mentions how Carolina-New York conversations on Burns had taken place for a stretch, which implies that there was some sort of bias towards New York in those discussions.
                    • The Giants will be the team to pay the franchise-tagged player now.
                    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication