Bears Inquired About Panthers DE Brian Burns & DT Derrick Brown In Trade From No. 1

April 3, 2023

According to a report from The Athletic, the Chicago Bears were also interested in Panthers DE Brian Burns or DT Derrick Brown in negotiations for the No. 1 pick.

Bears GM Ryan Poles wanted to add a player in addition to just picks as a way to capitalize on the value of the No. 1 pick this year.

Carolina ultimately included WR D.J. Moore in the deal, along with a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2023 and another second in 2025.

The Panthers turned down a goliath offer for Burns at the trade deadline this past season, so it’s not surprising they didn’t want to include him in the deal. Carolina will likely extend him at some point this summer as he enters the final year of his deal.

Brown was drafted in the first round in 2019 and evidently is seen as a major building block piece by the Panthers. They’ll likely pick up his fifth-year option for the 2024 season in May.

Burns, 24, was drafted by the Panthers No. 16 overall in the first round out of Florida State in 2019. He played out the fourth year of a four-year, $13,540,186 rookie contract that included a $7,867,408 signing bonus.

The Panthers exercised the fifth-year option for Burns for the 2023 season. It will cost Carolina $16.012 million fully guaranteed.

In 2022, Burns appeared in 16 games for the Panthers and recorded 63 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, one forced fumble and three pass defenses.

Brown, 24, was a three-year starter at Auburn and was named the SEC Player of the Year in 2019. The Panthers selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Brown is entering the fourth year of a four-year, $23,621,404 rookie contract that included a $14,739,203 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth year for the Panthers to pick up for the 2024 season, which is projected to be $11.665 million fully guaranteed.

In 2022, Brown appeared in all 17 games for the Panthers, recording 67 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and seven pass deflections. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 7 interior defender out of 127 qualifying players.