Why Giants Edge Defender Brian Burns Has Earned an Early Contract Extension

The New York Giants are building something new under John Harbaugh, hoping to return to their winning ways after a brutal stretch. While filling out the roster is an essential part of the rebuild, the Giants are building around their stars.

It's crucial to lock those stars in for the long haul, and to do so at team-friendly rates. That's exactly why New York should get to work on a contract extension for superstar edge rusher Brian Burns before his current deal expires after the 2028 season.

Burns is currently entering the third season of his five-year, $141 million deal that he agreed to after Big Blue acquired him in a blockbuster trade that brought him over from the Carolina Panthers.

At an average annual value of just $28.25 million, the deal is already one of the more team-friendly in the league, currently putting Burns’s APY 12th among edge defenders.

Burns is also at a point in his current contract where his guaranteed money—he was owed $76 million in full guarantees—has all been paid out.

Burns has without question outplayed his contract. Since coming to the Giants in 2024, he’s recorded 25 sacks, 16.5 of those coming last year, when he played well enough to earn his third career Pro Bowl berth and his first All-Pro nod (second team).

Burns has also been durable for the Giants, appearing in all 34 games, a trait that has carried over from his days in Carolina when he rarely missed games.

Financially speaking, Burns is due to count for $21.383 million after having his 2026 cap figure restructured. That move has caused his prorated signing bonus to swell to $18.583 million for the remainder of the contract.

And starting this year, his contract also calls for up to $1 million in per-game roster bonuses to be paid out, a clause that will also be part of the 2027 and 2028 years, and he’ll have a $2.5 million roster bonus if he is on the Giants roster at the start of each of those new league years.

That aside, in looking ahead to the final two years of his deal, Burns has cap hits of $44.083 million in each season, representing an estimated 13.5% of the Giants’ projected total 2027 cap and 12.5% of their projected 2028 total cap.

By extending a player who has shown no signs of slowing down, the Giants could not only lower that massive cap hit that’s coming down the pipe but also ensure they have Burns on board well beyond 2028 while potentially adding to their current projected 2027 cap space of $49.937 million.

More Big Decisions Loom for Big Blue

The Giants will have some big decisions to make in the next two seasons. The first one is what to do with edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is playing this season on his option year at a rate of $14.75 million. Unless something unexpected happens, Thibodeaux is probably not going to be a Giant next year.

The Giants are also eventually going to have to decide on receiver Malik Nabers’s option year, that decision needing to happen in early May 2027. Nabers, who already has one Pro Bowl to his name, would be looking at upwards of $18 million if his option year is picked up.

Besides all that, this is about ensuring that a steady and consistent performer remains a part of the team while also deploying mechanisms to keep his salary cap hit as low as possible so that other moves can be made to keep the team competitive.

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