Report: Brian Burns making the trip to Atlanta for Sunday’s opener

The Carolina Panthers may not be getting much closer to a new deal with outside linebacker Brian Burns. But they are getting closer to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with their two-time Pro Bowler in tow.

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Burns is making the trip to Atlanta ahead of tomorrow’s regular-season opener. The Week 1 status of the standout pass rusher, who is still without a contract extension, has been unclear.

Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns is making the trip to Atlanta, per sources. Burns practiced the last three days despite no agreement on an extension yet.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 9, 2023

After sitting out of a practice on Thursday, Aug. 31 and a walkthrough on Monday, Sept. 4, Burns was officially considered a full participant in each of the three sessions from this past week. Nonetheless, head coach Frank Reich hasn’t had a sure answer on if he’ll have his top edge defender against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

“I don’t know,” he said of Burns’ availability on Wednesday. “I really don’t know. But I’m not approaching it that way. I’m approaching it, like I know 30 years tells me, anything’s possible. Literally, anything’s possible. So, we’ll just keep moving forward.”

The latest update from the team, at least per Reich on Friday, is that there are “no updates.”