Giants' Brian Burns reflects on Panthers trade ahead of revenge game vs former team
The New York Giants are set to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at the Allianz Arena in Munich. This will mark a revenge face-off for linebacker Brian Burns, who was traded to the Panthers earlier this year by the Giants for a second-round pick (#39) and a 2025 fifth-round selection.
The move surprised everyone, including Burns, but he didn’t feel ill about his former franchise. During a media session on Monday, the LB was asked about his feelings while facing his former franchise for the first time.
“No, like I said, business is business. Business happened," Burns said. "I’m happy where I am. I’m blessed.”
Brian Burns never requested a trade-off
Brian Burns further revealed that he wasn’t surprised by the move, as he was expecting it. The Carolina Panthers traded off their first-round picks: WR DJ Moore (No. 24, 2018), RB Christian McCaffrey (No. 8, 2017), and DT Vernon Butler (No. 30, 2016), so everyone could tell where the Panthers were headed.
Burns had a fantastic record while playing five seasons for the Panthers. He had 59 tackles for a loss, 46 sacks with more than 7.5 sacks every season, and 13 passes defended in 80 games as he made a name for himself as the top pass rusher.
However, the Panthers wanted to build a new team from scratch. Some sources also reveal that the Panthers were not interested in paying Burns a hefty retention amount.
His current contract with the Giants pays him over $28 million yearly, including a $35 million signing bonus. But Burns wasn’t aware of his post-offseason trade as he never requested one.
“I never requested a trade,” he told ESPN.
Brian Burns has one regret from Panthers’ exit
Despite the events, Burns has maintained that he respects the Panthers but is content with the New York Giants.
“I respect those people in that building, that organization. Like I said, I’m blessed. There isn’t really too much to speak on. I’m happy where I am now and I’m just trying to make this team win.”
However, Brian Burns has one regret: there were no last goodbyes at his now-former team. Burns looks forward to meeting some people he couldn’t connect with during his stay, including equipment staff, training staff, and the lunch team.