Evaluating the Panthers’ initial round of free agency: Burns and Johnson transactions, high-profile additions
The Panthers have made a number of roster changes in the wake of the first wave of free agency. The Panthers were able to get ahead of the open market thanks to the NFL’s permitted tampering period. And Dan Morgan, the new general manager, took advantage of that time to finalize deals with a few new players and execute two significant moves. The Panthers aren’t done assembling their roster, but the first round of free agency was the main focus. This is our grade for the Panthers’ initial class of unrestricted free agents:
For a moment, let’s set aside the famed Los Angeles Rams offer. We’ll give that a few chance to marinate. Now that we’ve cleared that up, read this: In exchange for a second-round selection, a future fifth-round pick, and a trade of fifth-round picks, the Panthers acquired a 25-year-old pass rusher with two Pro Bowls to his credit. Oh, and that two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher was dealt to a lower-tier team in the conference in exchange for a Top-10 selection. Yes, it does sound awful. But when you include the Los Angeles Rams’ 2022 offer, which includes three first-round selections in 2024, 2025, and 2023, well, that’s just plain awful.
To put things in perspective, Morgan wasn’t the main decision-maker in 2022 or 2023, and he was about to enter an at best inflexible no-win scenario. The new administration had to decide whether to retain a disgruntled Burns to begin coach Dave Canales’ term or accept what they could get right away and start over. The connection between Burns and the team was obviously damaged. According to what I hear, Burns’ salary demands restricted the trade market for the pass rusher, even though the Giants were pursuing him aggressively. This was an unimpressive bargain for Carolina, but Morgan and Giants general manager Joe Schoen were able to work it out because of their longstanding friendship.
