Panthers place franchise tag on Brian Burns

The Panthers did the expected and tagged their star pass rusher, which gives them time to iron out deal or seek out trades.

The Carolina Panthers have placed the franchise tag on edge defender Brian Burns according to Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network.

Adam Schefter went on to clarify that the Panthers used the non-exclusive tag on Burns.

We talked about the different options for tagging Burns here. In that post we came to the conclusion that the non-exclusive franchise tag was the most sensible and likely direction the team would go, and that has come to fruition. On the non-exclusive franchise tag, Burns can negotiate and even sign a deal with another team. The Panthers will have the right to match the terms of the deal and retain Burns’ services. Should they choose not to match, the Panthers will receive two first round picks from the acquiring team.

The deadline to apply the tag was today, and there was never a doubt that would happen. Placing the tag on Burns gives the two sides time to work out a long term deal or find potential trade partners. The Panthers and Burns have until mid July to work out a long term contract. If no agreement can be reached, Burns will play out the season on a one year, $24 million deal.