Brian Burns admits it was 'annoying' to miss OTAs

Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns was annoyed by his absence during his team’s OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

“Felt good,” Burns said Wednesday. “I was excited, you know, missing the whole OTAs, minicamp and everything like that was a little annoying. I missed being out there with my guys. So it was fun. I actually couldn’t wait to get out there.”

Ongoing contract negotiations kept the 25-year-old away from Spartanburg for majority of the offseason, but when the first day of training camp rolled around Wednesday, Burns was present. Burns is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which is worth $16 million for his fifth-year option. In addition, the Panthers have the option of placing the franchise tag on Burns next year. Though Burns made it clear his individual goals have value, he said he felt like he needed to be at training camp.

“Nah, I was going to show up,” said Burns, when asked if there was ever any doubt he’d be at training camp despite not signing a contract extension. “I would say mainly just because I missed it. I missed being with my defense… Kind of feel like what we’ve got going is bigger than, I don’t want to say like it’s bigger than my individual goals, because those matter of course, but I feel like what we’ve got building is bigger than that.

“I feel like I’m a key piece to what we need to get done. So I feel like I need to be here, whether or not I’m going through negotiations or whatever. But nah, it didn’t cross my mind to sit out.”

Brian Burns, Panthers working on contract extension

Burns, Carolina’s first-round selection (16th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Florida State, has accumulated 38.0 sacks in four seasons. In 2022, he compiled a career-high 12.5 sacks, earning his second straight Pro Bowl nomination.

While contract negotiations between Burns and the Panthers have been positive, general manager Scott Fitterer declined to put a timeline on when a deal will get done.

“They’ve been good conversations,” Fitterer said Tuesday, via Panthers.com. “It’s not like we have to say it has to be done by this time or that time. We just keep talking. And when the time’s right, and we make a deal that’s right for him and right for us, that’d be great.

“He’s a big part of the organization. We love having Brian around. He’s really grown as a leader. Not just as a player but as a leader. He’s one of those guys you just love being around.”