Panthers' bad business continues to show up with Brian Burns trade revelation

Imagine being a die-hard Carolina Panthers fan, only to discover that the team missed out on a far more lucrative trade deal for Brian Burns. If you are the New York Giants, you most certainly have to be pleased.

Big Blue is scheduled to appear on an offseason version of Hard Knocks, and based on early showings, general manager Joe Schoen is quite pleased with himself for the deal he pulled off to land the former first-round pass rusher.

As Schoen was speaking with head coach Brian Daboll at the NFL Scouting Combine, he said that it would likely take two second-round picks to secure a trade, and then pay Burns $28-29 million per year.

Schoen's calculations were a bit off in regards to the trade return. The Giants secured Brian Burns for a surprisingly modest price tag: a second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and a swap of fifth-round selections.

This looks even worse for the Panthers. Back in 2022, reports surfaced that the Panthers had rejected a substantial offer from the Los Angeles Rams, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Burns.

That much value could have been had, and instead, the Panthers opt in a different direction. And, they traded Burns for less value. Either communication was lost or non-existent and the front offices in Carolina are incompetent. The latter seems likely, considering the franchise has not fully recovered since losing Super Bowl 50 to the Broncos after the 2015 season.

The Carolina Panthers continue to make bad business decisions, and their play on the field is the ultimate result

From questionable draft choices to puzzling coaching hires, along with now getting rid of good players such as Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and now Burns, the Panthers' inability to extract maximum value from trades stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of poor decision-making. How else can you describe it?

Given the state of the current roster, ramifications of this trade are likely to come forth quickly, highlighting Panthers' ability, or rather, inability, to compete at the highest level in the years to come. The fact that they play in the NFC South may seem comforting, but in reality, everyone else seems to be trending upward while the Panthers continue to fall backwards.

Critics of the Panthers' front office decisions will continue to do their work unless drastic changes are made and the right people are put in place to do their job. Having an owner like David Tepper may not help matters, but at some point in time, the team has to do the right thing, or the upcoming renovations will result in a purely empty stadium, not like it's full now anyways.