The Carolina Panthers are hoping they landed their quarterback of the future in Bryce Young, whom they took No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Young has all the skills and intangibles to succeed as an NFL quarterback, so offensively the Panthers should feel good about where they are.
On the defensive side of the field, however, Carolina has been trying to negotiate with Brian Burns on a contract extension.
Burns is one of the premier pass rushers in the league and is due to make a lot more money given his production off the edge.
Pass rushing is the most important part of any defense, so the Panthers would be wise to try and get a deal done with Burns.
However, it seems as though an extension will have to wait until the offseason as Burns and Carolina reportedly won’t make a deal before Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
The Carolina Panthers and pass rusher Brian Burns are not expected to reach a deal before Sunday’s game vs. Atlanta, per sources.
After returning to practice this week amid the contract dispute, the expectation is Burns plays vs. Falcons barring surprise.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 9, 2023
Like several other high-profile players this offseason, Burns had been holding out for a new deal.
However, the good news is that he returned to practice and will be joining Carolina despite not having an extension in place.
If Burns had decided to extend his holdout through the regular season, he would be forfeiting game checks which is not a wise financial decision.
For now, fans can breathe a momentary sigh of relief as their star edge rusher will be back in the fold against one of their divisional rivals in what could be an under-the-radar matchup.
