There were very few bright spots during the Carolina Panthers 2-15 showing in the 2023 season.

One of the few was the continued excellence of pass rusher Brian Burns, who posted 8 sacks once again and is further establishing himself as one of the best in the league at his position.

Burns’ future has been up in the air due to Carolina’s uncertain trajectory, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano is reporting that it is a “near certainty” Burns will receive the franchise tag and that the Panthers would love to work out a long-term deal with their star linebacker.

future has been uncertain for the past few years, as he and the team have gone back and forth in contract negotiations, but Dan Morgan is now the GM and fans are hoping he can provide some solutions.

The team has until March 5 to franchise tag Burns, which would lock him into a one-year deal for $22.3 million unless he and the team come to terms on an extension.

It was rumored in recent years that negotiations between the two parties hit an impasse when Burns declined to budge on his desire for $30 million a year, even though the Panthers reportedly were offering up to $27 million.

Such a contract would put Burns among the highest-paid edge rushers in the league such as T.J. Watt and Nick Bosa, so it will be interesting to see where the numbers fall.