Brian Burns will play in Carolina Panthers season opener vs. Atlanta Falcons
Brian Burns is expected to play.
The Carolina Panthers’ star pass rusher is listed as “active” on the team’s game day roster, which was released at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. All signs indicate he will be playing in his team’s season opener against the Atlanta Falcons — quelling one of the largest concerns espoused by the Panthers’ fan base in the past couple weeks.
The conclusion of Burns’ preseason was mired in tension as he and the team have been negotiating terms of a contract extension. An agreement has yet to be nailed down, but Burns has elected to play Sunday anyway.
The pass rusher didn’t practice for two consecutive days last week (while still showing up to the facility and going to meetings). And then, this week, he’s practiced but has found other ways to subtly protest his predicament. Among those ways: appearing to do limited individual work at the public portions of practice, including not stretching with the team one day.
Carolina picked up Burns’ fifth-year option on his rookie contract in the offseason. The two-time Pro Bowler, who is considered by many to be the Panthers’ best player, finished 2022 with a career-best 59 tackles and 12.5 sacks. Team officials made it clear earlier this summer that striking an extension with Burns was a high priority.
Staying with the Panthers, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2019, has been a priority for Burns, too.
“I feel like what we got building is bigger than that,” Burns told reporters after the first day of training camp in Spartanburg in late July. “I feel like I’m a key piece to what we need to get done, so I need to be here, whether or not I’m going through negotiations or whatever.”
Burns is guaranteed $16 million this season under his current agreement with the Panthers. That’s 12th in 2023 salary cap numbers among all NFL edge rushers, according to overthecap.com.
But he’s made it clear he wants to be among the top paid pass rushers in the league. And that price has been driven up significantly after Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers agreed to a five-year, $170 million contract extension.
The only inactives for the Panthers on Sunday are wide receiver DJ Chark (who was ruled out Friday), defensive back D’Shawn Jamison, linebacker Claudin Cherelus and offensive lineman Nash Jensen.
Terrace Marshall is expected to start in Chark’s stead.
This story was originally published September 10, 2023 at 11:35 AM.
