Why carolina can not* afford to lose Burns

[micnificent28]

The Burns bashing is way beyond the levels of crazy. Did he have a down year by his standards yes, but so did the entire team. Being the sole pass rushing threat on the defense teams must account for is difficult enough. Not to mention playing on the tag risking serious injury or financial ruin.

When other held out for contracts Burns showed up to camp ready and excited to join his teammates. Despite what the huddle thinks hes still well regarded around the league and would still demand a first round compensation. 

The problem with trading him is you have to replace him, and replacing his first round pedigree with anything other than a first round talent(dj johnson and gross) is near impossible. You would have to burn another first and hope he becomes a top 10 presence. I mean look at the pressure generated by the defense and if you listen to the way fans tell it Burns is the problem.

Edited January 30 by micnificent28

[jayboogieman]

How many of those other guys played as much as Burns did? How many of them were put into pass rush situations vs playing the run or being told to hold the edge? Just looking at one stat doesn't tell the whole story.

Also, there's not a player on the roster that shouldn't be traded if the price is right and that includes Brown, Thelen, and Burns. The Panthers need a huge infusion of talent and most likely a couple years away from winning at the earliest. If getting that talent infusion means trading away the more win now guys, so be it.

[Chimera]

Burns is one dimensional; he's a liability in the run game. The one sack he generates every five games doesn't balance out the five times he's gashed per game.

[KSpan]

For the billionth time, the decision isn't about trying to replace him one-for-one, it's about taking the value that he brings and spreading it across the defense. Is it worth letting him go if it nets a couple of better starters and depth? Absolutely. 

The bottom line is he's not worth what he's asking, period. He's a known quantity, and that quantitiy is not a game-changer. That money can go to Luvu, Brown, FAs, and any draft picks (which again, might be a moot point given how badly Fitterer screwed that up) may very well be a greater gain than his value. 

[Donald LaFell]

We likely wouldn’t replace him for a while. We’d get players on offense. 
 

Burns is the kind of player that would make a great defense elite but he can’t be an anchor. He needs to go somewhere where he can be a pass rush specialist that is ok against the run. Trade him for what you can get or let him test the market. 

 

[CarolinaSock]

Gross-Matos generated 47% of the pressure in 57% of the snaps.

Barno generated 20% of the pressure in 23% of the snaps.

Houston 25% in 22%, Haynes 25% in 17% of the snaps.

It's just a matter of snap count.

[LinvilleGorge]

The problem with paying Burns is that he wants $30M a year. That's ELITE $$$. Now go look at the pressure numbers of elite pass rushers. Micah Parsons was over 100. 

[Gapanthersfan]

Burns has all of the ability in the world. That’s never been in question. Look at the first half of the season opener.

I don’t know the man personally, but the optics are that he cares more about getting paid than he does football. He seemed completely cool taking the L week. Never even saw him mad about it. I don’t want that in the locker room  

I don’t want him anywhere near the team culture rebuild. 

[rayzor]

We cannot afford to keep him.

[DrowsyJungle]

When I heard Rams offered 2 first rounds I was baffled when he wasn't traded. I don't know wtf Fitt was thinking, unless Tepper controlled that decision, which wouldn't surprise me. Even before this down year he had. 

[kungfoodude]

9 minutes ago, DrowsyJungle said:

When I heard Rams offered 2 first rounds I was baffled when he wasn't traded. I don't know wtf Fitt was thinking, unless Tepper controlled that decision, which wouldn't surprise me. Even before this down year he had. 

Literally no one can understand that decision. It was one of the top 2 or 3 worst in franchise history.

[CamWhoaaCam]

[Manna]

I don't blame him for wanting to cash in on being one of the better players on this sorry team. 

However, we will remain sorry if we break the bank for him by overpaying his value. I don't see him elevating his game the same way Charles Johnson did after becoming "Big Money." We need to rebuild and cannot do so if we pay him what he thinks he's worth. I rather allocate those funds towards Brown and Luvu. 

[45catfan]

Yes we can.    What we can't afford to do is pay him the contract that he wants.