The Los Angeles Rams went for it with Brian Burns. They really, really went for it.
The defending Super Bowl champs have finally been revealed as the team that offered two first-round picks for Carolina Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns. But that wasn't all.
The Rams put up their 2024 first, 2025 first and a 2023 second-round pick in an attempt to secure Burns from Carolina. The Panthers and GM Scott Fitterer, as we know, said no.
It's a significant package Carolina turned down, albeit one that was easier to reject with no 2023 first-round pick. A Carolina source told CBS Sports the team didn't like its prospects of replacing Burns any time soon.
"When you look at free agency and the draft, there's not a lot coming up, especially compared to the player Brian is," the source said. "We didn't think we could replace Brian Burns."
Carolina obviously views Burns as a foundational piece. Burns, a young corner in Jaycee Horn, a young left tackle in Ickey Ekwonu make up three of the four necessary pieces for a successful NFL team, with the Panthers planning to find a quarterback via the draft in 2023.
After the Rams struck out on McCaffrey, Rams GM Les Snead re-engaged Fitterer. A source says the original offer was two first-round picks, and then the Rams upped the offer by adding the 2023 second-rounder. The Panthers "didn't want to" make the deal but did give it serious consideration.
Not dealing Burns for a haul like that indicates the Panthers are sure to make Burns one of the highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL this offseason, well above the $110 million extension Bradley Chubb just received from the Dolphins.
There's also the matter of the message it would have sent to the players in the Carolina locker room. With an interim head coach, no quarterback of the future on the roster and Christian McCaffrey gone to San Francisco, the Panthers could ill-afford to ship out another blue chip player in the same month while looking the remaining players in the eye and tell them they're still trying to win games.
The sort of offer for Burns further indicates the all-in nature of the Rams. L.A. hasn't used its own first-round pick since drafting Jared Goff in 2016, and this deal would have likely meant the Rams wouldn't have had a first until a full decade later as it continues to maximize the remaining time it has with head coach Sean McVay and defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
