With Dexter Lawrence Shipped Out Of New York, Is Brian Burns Now Available?
April 19th, 2026
Might Giants edge rusher Brian Burns be available?
Joe guesses the thought of trading a high draft pick for one of the better edge rushers in the game may chase Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht out of bed at 2 a.m. with a nasty, projectile acid reflux episode.
Last week as Dexter Lawrence stomped around New Jersey demanding a new pay raise — or else — after coming off career lows in sacks and tackles, stud Giants edge rusher Brian Burns told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post that if Lawrence was traded, “I don’t want to play this season or any other season without him.”
(The New York Post story is behind a paywall, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk still had the excerpt.)
Last night, Lawrence was traded to Cincinnati for the No. 10 overall pick in Thursday’s draft.
So is Burns going to stick to his word and invoke Operation Shutdown until he, too, is shipped out of New Jersey?
The G-Men now have a disgruntled, top-shelf pass rusher on their hands. Time to try to take advantage. Burns had 16 1/2 sacks last season and has had a Hall of Fame start to his career, with 71 sacks in 7 seasons.
Licht worked magic once before with the Giants when he bit the bullet and pulled a third-round pick out of his body to trade for Jason Pierre-Paul in 2018.
Not only was that Licht’s greatest heist, Joe maintains that transaction alone began the turnaround from the Bucs being the laughingstock of the NFC to three seasons later, dancing with the Vince Lombardi Trophy as NFL champs.
Joe doesn’t believe Burns, who is under contract for three more seasons, will be as cheap as the ransom Licht paid for JPP.
Will this happen? Joe really doubts it, sadly. But hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
April 19th, 2026 at 12:03 am
That’s a good dream
April 19th, 2026 at 12:46 am
Licht is not going to give up a one. He might give up a two for burns
April 19th, 2026 at 12:47 am
I’d rather him make a play for Thibodeaux. Lower cost too.
April 19th, 2026 at 12:49 am
Licht giving up a first? HAAHAHA
April 19th, 2026 at 1:32 am
Great idea, but I’m betting Licht is believing (yet again) that this draft aligns with picking an Edge they can get and “coach him up”- especially if he thinks this draft is deep enough to let him get a couple of guys that might justify what he’s looking for.
Regardless of the JTS’ and Braswell’s that just never could make it happen. Just one more roll of that dice!
Let’s hope ol’ Lucky Licht nails it this time.
April 19th, 2026 at 2:30 am
If BA was the head coach and able to tell a subordinate Todd Bowles what to do and how to do it, sure.
If Lite went after Burns in the current world, he’d remind fans of 2025 Reddick only worse. No one who wants to compile sack numbers will ever want to play for The Great Regressor.
Which is why Light is also done after 2026.
April 19th, 2026 at 3:20 am
Joe has a terrific thought here. Perhaps NYG braintrust is feeling good about their own heist today. A 3rd probably wouldnt be enough but Harbougb is clearly cleaning house aka if a player [under previous losing regime that] doesn’t want to be here, then MYG is open for business. Our 2nd this year for Brian Burns would be better than #15 for Mesidor mess of questions. By far.
April 19th, 2026 at 5:14 am
Hows his coverage skills?
April 19th, 2026 at 5:28 am
Harbaugh fleeced the Bengals with this one. Lawrence dropped from a 9 sack season with 20 solo tackles in 2024 while playing in only 12 games, to a 1/2 sack season with 13 solo tackles last season while playing in all 17 games.
So, after falling off the face of the earth in 2025, what does Lawrence do? He asks for a raise or a trade with two years remaining on his contract! To acquire a top 10 pick for this guy is amazing, and the Bengals again look amazingly foolish.
This guy has Reddick written all over him.
So Joe wants Burns? I’d take him, but we both know Grinch-Licht would want him for nothing, so no deal before it could even grab footing.
And it’s too bad. If Burns wants out and Harbaugh is willing to comply, I’d give our #15 and next year’s second round pick for him in a New York Minute!
Again, 13 tackles and 1/2 sack in an entire season, and 20 million this year is not enough for Lawrence’s liking? What is the world coming to?
April 19th, 2026 at 6:45 am
Joe … ‘Licht worked magic once before with the Giants when he bit the bullet and pulled a third-round pick out of his body to send to New Jersey for Jason Pierre-Paul in 2018.’
Every time I read that I shake my head Joe. JPP had 3 years of double-digit sacks in his career; the rest of the time he was just a quality DE/OLB with average sack-stats.
The Giants traded him to us because (1) they’d just signed him to a huge salary a year earlier & he wasn’t producing, and (2) they’d gotten themselves into salary-CAP he11 & trading him helped them get out. JPP spent 8 years with the Giants & had 58.5 sacks in that time (almost 7.5 sacks/year average), BUT he had half of those in just 2 years (16.5 in 2011 & 12.5 in 2014). In his other 6 years there JPP averaged slightly less than 5 sacks/year (he averaged 5.5 sacks/year for his last 3 years in New York).
When JPP was traded to Tampa in 2018, he had another double-digit sack year (12.5) … under Mike Smith. In the following 3 years here … under Todd Bowles … he had 20.5 sacks total (7 sacks/year average). What amazed me about JPP is that he almost never came off the field (he averaged mid-80’s to low-90’s in percentage of def snaps in each game he played). And he was awesome IMO at protecting his side of the field in that he made a lot of tackles (also missed a lot just to be fair).
YaYa reminds me very much of JPP. He’s had 19 sacks in his 3 years (a tad over 6 sacks/year average). He’s also had a lot of tackles out there (averaging almost 50 tackles/year). Has never missed a game, but averages about 70% def snaps per game, less than JPP did. Gets one thinking that MAYBE stats like that are what we should come to expect out of quality DEs/OLBs utilized in a Todd Bowles’ defense?
April 19th, 2026 at 7:12 am
A fair and balanced analysis, DR. I loved JPP for what he apparently did in the locker room as much as what he did on the field.
April 19th, 2026 at 7:14 am
If I’m ownership, there is no way that I’m letting this regime trade future premium draft picks. They barely survived the chopping block last year.
April 19th, 2026 at 7:19 am
Brian Burns?
I wanted to draft him. I wanted to trade for him.
The Panthers are a horrible organization.
They traded away Christian McCaffrey.
They traded away Brian Burns.
They drafted a 5-9 QB with the 1st overall pick.
They traded a ton of draft picks to draft a 5-9 QB.
They had Sam Darnold. They had Baker Mayfield.
They had DJ Moore.
We have made some insane mistakes over the years, like drafting Aguayo in the 2nd. Like releasing Donald Penn (who was still a Pro Bowler).
Letting Michael Bennett walk.
Not putting Mark Barron at LB.
Drafting Vernon Hargreaves over Tunsil.
But at least we aren’t as dumb as the Panthers or Falcons.
April 19th, 2026 at 7:25 am
Day 2 pick for Burns just like Jason did for Pierre Paul. I am sure he’d love to play the Panthers twice a year and give them a bit of payback!
April 19th, 2026 at 7:38 am
Can’t afford him period
April 19th, 2026 at 7:41 am
Brian Burns will turn 28 next week
He has 71 sacks in his NFL career, coming off 16.5 sacks.
He has 15 PD in his 2 years with the Giants, more than ILBs
His salary is less than Jaelan Phillips
There is no way the Giants will give him away
He’s in more demand than Dexter Lawrence
So why should the Giants accept a lot less for him?
April 19th, 2026 at 7:54 am
I’d imagine a 1 and a 4 or something. That’s a fair price for 3-4 seasons of double-digit sacks
April 19th, 2026 at 8:39 am
the more realistic trade with the giants might be moving up to number 10
April 19th, 2026 at 8:51 am
Until we have a real GM and ream Coach this team will be what it is. Mediocre. Boring. Not winning.
April 19th, 2026 at 8:58 am
Per SI:
“Spotrac reported that the Giants have converted $22.75 million of outside linebacker Brian Burns’s 2026 base salary ($22.050 million) into a signing bonus, which has resulted in $15.1 million of cap space for the team to use this year.
That drops Burn’s salary to $1.3 million, which is the minimum base salary for Burns, who is going on his eighth NFL season this year, and slices his original $36.55 million cap hit to $21.383 million, per Spotrac.
The move also inflates Burns’s future cap hits to a whopping $44 million in 2027 and 2028.
Burns has been playing at a high level, where he’s in no danger of not seeing the end of his contract, originally a five-year, $141 million deal that he signed after the Giants acquired him via trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2024”
Not sure Licht would want to deal with his current mess of a contract and who knows how that would effect our future. Would we have to take over that contract as is?
Probably not happening
April 19th, 2026 at 9:15 am
See if they would take our second rounder?
Otherwise give our first for their guy and their 2nd rounder.
Of course Jason won’t make the move, he needs more Licht’s losers on the team.
Overage, broken, undersized, small school, kids of Todd’s friends.
Anyone fit that description on the board?
April 19th, 2026 at 9:23 am
Burns says that he doesn’t want to play without Lawrence..so why would he want to come to the Bucs and still not be playing with Lawrence?
Burns was just trying to help his boy get a new contract with the Giants, and it didn’t happen. Harbaugh doesn’t let his players dictate his plans..how refreshing.
Im pulling for my Bucs to prove us all wrong a d win the division again and get back in the playoffs. But this organization made a crucial mistake when the had a young offensive coach and didn’t do all they could to keep him around. Liam should have been handed the keys a d shown Bowles the door..huge mistake.
April 19th, 2026 at 9:28 am
That contract would make a Burns trade not doable. Not at all. Too bad, he’s an excellent player.
April 19th, 2026 at 9:31 am
The Houston Texans just extended Will Anderson Jr
3 years, $ 150 Million
The Giants are getting a steal in Brian Burns
The Bucs refuse to invest in proven Edge Rushers
Yet they will invest in Jason Licht “Homegrown” draft failures
Just so Licht can beat his chest like Tarzan, for being a draft guru
April 19th, 2026 at 9:49 am
Oh man!
I feel for you and your acid reflux!
Send the #15
April 19th, 2026 at 10:06 am
That JPP trade was like 8 damn years ago, you’re not fleecing a Harbaugh and he’s the real GM
April 19th, 2026 at 10:27 am
@Lakeland Licht sleeps next to his draft pics at night lol he talks about homegrown players like this is baseball give me a break sometimes I think Licht forgets it’s about winning not about homegrown players. #Justwinbaby
April 19th, 2026 at 10:35 am
I think we should look very closely to this Offensive player OG/OT Caden Barnett from Wyoming at some point in the draft…. He’s our kind of player. Measurables are off the charts…. GO BUCS
April 19th, 2026 at 11:02 am
I would rather have Burns than Max Crosby and would gladly give up our 15th pick and possibly a 3rd or 4th next year for him.
April 19th, 2026 at 11:33 am
Take it from this Giants fan – Burns is overrated. He doesn’t beat OTs when rushing the passer. His 16 sacks were mostly cleanups from Abdul Carter and Dexter Lawrence. Don’t believe me? Find his name on this list:
April 19th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
I’d give up a first and a second for him
April 19th, 2026 at 12:59 pm
It don’t matter how you get the sacks
As long as you get them
April 19th, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Brian Burns had 46 sacks before in his first 5 seasons with Carolina
He never had less than 7 5 a year, which he achieved as a rookie
He’s consistent, and he rarely misses games
April 19th, 2026 at 2:39 pm
If –and a big if– Burns is on the trading block, the competition will be fierce. The Bucs won’t be dictating the compensation.
A thank you to Teacherman for the reminder that the Panthers had Mayfield, Darnold, McCaffrey, and Burns all at the same time and could not win, so they let them all go for almost nothing.
April 19th, 2026 at 8:14 pm
If you are really taking his quote seriously he’ll only play for the Bengals.