Brian Burns (American football)

Brian Burns (born April 23, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Brian Burns

Burns with the Carolina Panthers in 2020
No. 0 – New York Giants
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1998-04-23) April 23, 1998 (age 26) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:	American Heritage (Plantation, Florida)
College:	Florida State (2016–2018)
NFL draft:	2019 / round: 1 / pick: 16
Career history
Carolina Panthers (2019–2023) New York Giants (2024–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
2× Pro Bowl (2021, 2022) First-team All-ACC (2018)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Total tackles: 317 Sacks: 54.5 Forced fumbles: 10 Fumble recoveries: 2 Pass deflections: 21 Defensive touchdowns: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Burns attended American Heritage School, where he played high school football. Over his junior and senior seasons, he had 135 tackles and 28 sacks combined and helped his team win state titles. Burns played in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.^[1] He committed to Florida State University to play college football.^[2][3]

College career

As a freshman at Florida State in 2016, Burns played in all 13 games and led all freshman in the country with 8.5 sacks.^[4] As a sophomore in 2017, he started all 13 games and had 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks.^[5][6][7] As a junior in 2018, Burns started all 12 games, recording 52 tackles and 10 sacks. After the season, Burns decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL draft.^[8][9]

College statistics

Season	GP	Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		Solo	Ast	Cmb	TfL	Sck	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds	TD	FF
Florida State Seminoles
2016	8	14	9	23	9.5	8.5	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2017	13	26	22	48	13.5	4.5	0	0	0.0	0	4	1	0	0	3
2018	12	31	21	52	15.5	10.0	0	0	0.0	0	3	1	0	0	3
Career	33	71	52	123	38.5	23	0	0	0.0	0	7	2	0	0	7

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Wonderlic
6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.95 m)	249 lb (113 kg)	33+7⁄8 in (0.86 m)	10 in (0.25 m)	4.53 s	1.57 s	2.62 s	7.01 s	36.0 in (0.91 m)	10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)	22
All values are from NFL Scouting Combine[10][11][12][13]

Carolina Panthers

Burns was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round with the 16th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.^[14] In Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Burns recorded a sack on Gardner Minshew and returned a forced fumble for a touchdown in the 34–27 win.^[15] As a rookie, he appeared in 16 games and started five. He finished with 7.5 sacks, 25 total tackles, and one forced fumble.^[16]

In Week 3 of the 2020 season against the Los Angeles Chargers, Burns recorded his first sack of the season on Justin Herbert, a strip sack that was recovered by the Panthers, during the 21–16 win.^[17] In Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints, Burns recorded a strip sack on Drew Brees that was recovered by the Panthers during the 27–24 loss.^[18] In Week 11 against the Detroit Lions, Burns recorded two sacks on Matthew Stafford during a shutout win and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.^[19] He appeared in 15 games and started 14 in the 2020 season. He finished with nine sacks, 58 total tackles, four passes defended, and three forced fumbles.^[20]

On December 27, 2021, Burns was placed on the Panthers COVID-19 reserve list.^[21] In the 2021 season, he appeared in all 17 games and started 16. He finished with nine sacks, 50 total tackles, four passes defended, and two forced fumbles.^[22] He earned Pro Bowl honors for the 2021 season.^[23] He was ranked 76th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.^[24]

The Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on Burns's contract on April 26, 2022.^[25] In Week 12 against the Denver Broncos, Burns had two sacks on Russell Wilson, a forced fumble, and one pass deflection, earning him NFC Defensive Player of The Week.^[26] He finished the 2022 season with 12.5 sacks, 63 total tackles, three passes defended, and one forced fumble in 16 games and starts.^[27] He earned Pro Bowl honors for the 2022 season.^[28] He was ranked 54th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.^[29]

Burns opened the 2023 season at Atlanta with seven tackles and two sacks. It marked his third career multi-sack game.^[30] He moved up the Panthers all-time sack list in Week 5 at Detroit, making his 42nd career sack and passing Kevin Greene for fifth all-time in Panthers history.^[31] In the 2023 season, Burns finished with eight sacks, 50 total tackles, two passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 16 games.^[32] He was ranked 55th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.^[33]

On March 5, 2024, the Panthers placed the franchise tag on Burns.^[34]

New York Giants

On March 13, 2024, the Panthers traded Burns with the San Francisco 49ers' 2024 fifth-round pick to the New York Giants in exchange for second-round and fifth-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft.^[35][36] The Giants then signed Burns to a five-year, $141 million contract with $87.5 million guaranteed.^[37]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Sfty	Int	Yds	Lng	TD	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2019	CAR	16	5	25	19	6	7.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	56	1
2020	CAR	15	14	58	35	23	9.0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3	0	0	0
2021	CAR	17	16	50	31	19	9.0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	0	0	0
2022	CAR	16	16	63	34	29	12.5	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	0
2023	CAR	16	16	50	32	18	8.0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	0	0
2024	NYG	17	17	71	42	29	8.5	0	0	0	0	0	8	2	0	0	0
Career		97	84	317	193	124	54.5	0	0	0	0	0	21	10	2	56	1

Personal life

Burns's older brother, Stanley McClover, was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft.^[38][39] He is a fan of the Marvel character Spider-Man.^[40]

References

1. Fernandez, Andre C. (November 11, 2015). "American Heritage football star Brian Burns named to U.S. Army All-American Bowl". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
2. Maks, Patrick (February 3, 2016). "American Heritage star Brian Burns picks Florida State". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
3. Glicksman, Ben (February 2, 2016). "Five-star DE Burns commits to Florida State". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
4. Deen, Safid (August 16, 2017). "FSU coaches believe Brian Burns has NFL first-round potential". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
5. Weiler, Curt (August 15, 2018). "Brian Burns growing into role as leader on Florida State defense". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
6. Baker, Matt (August 15, 2018). "Brian Burns looking to thrive in Florida State's new-look defense". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 16, 2023.^{[dead link‍]}
7. Deen, Safid (August 15, 2018). "FSU's Brian Burns takes Myles Garrett comparison in stride, prepares for breakout year". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
8. Rittenberg, Adam (December 3, 2018). "Florida State DE Burns to enter NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
9. "Florida State defensive end Brian Burns declares for draft". FOX Sports. Associated Press. December 3, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
10. "Brian Burns Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". National Football League. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
11. "Watch Panthers' selection of Brian Burns in first round of 2019 NFL Draft". Panthers.com. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
12. "*Brian Burns, Florida State, OLB, 2019 Draft Scout". DraftScout.com.
13. "Leaked Wonderlic Test Scores NFL Draft 2019". April 22, 2019.
14. Powell, Chaunte'l (April 25, 2019). "FSU standout Brian Burns selected in first round of NFL Draft by Carolina Panthers". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
15. "McCaffrey scores 3 TDs, Panthers hold off Jaguars 34–27". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
16. "Brian Burns 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
17. "Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Chargers – September 27th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
18. "Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – October 25th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
19. Gordon, Grant (November 25, 2020). "Texans QB Deshaun Watson, Rams WR Robert Woods lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
20. "Brian Burns 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
21. Simmons, Myles (December 27, 2021). "Brian Burns among six Panthers placed on COVID-19 list". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
22. "Brian Burns 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
23. "2021 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
24. "2022 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
25. "Fifth-year option tracker for first-round picks from the 2019 NFL Draft". NFL.com. April 25, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
26. Gordon, Grant (November 30, 2022). "Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, Raiders RB Josh Jacobs lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
27. "Brian Burns 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
28. Gantt, Darin (December 21, 2022). "Brian Burns named starter for 2023 Pro Bowl". Panthers.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
29. "2023 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
30. "Stats and Superlatives: Panthers drop season opener to Atlanta". Panthers.com. September 10, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
31. "Stats and Superlatives: Panthers drop road matchup at Detroit". Panthers.com. October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
32. "Brian Burns 2023 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
33. "2024 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
34. Gantt, Darin (March 5, 2024). "Panthers place franchise tag on Brian Burns". Panthers.com. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
35. Eisen, Michael (March 15, 2024). "Brian Burns 'ready to do great things' for Giants". Giants.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
36. "Experts grade Giants' acquisition of Brian Burns". Giants.com. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
37. Traina, Patricia (March 12, 2024). "Giants Contract Details Revealed for Brian Burns and Jon Runyan". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
38. Henson, Max (April 26, 2019). "Brian Burns on joining Panthers: "It's blowing my mind"". Panthers.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
39. Fowler, Scott (September 17, 2021). "'Who doesn't want a Hypeman?' Brian Burns' brother, a former Panther, finds new purpose". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
40. Henson, Max (April 25, 2019). "Brian Burns the Seminole who became spider-man". Panthers.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.

External links

• Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
• College statistics at Sports Reference
• New York Giants bio
• Florida State Seminoles bio
• Brian Burns on Twitter