NFL Rumors: Rams Offered Multiple 1st-Round Picks in Trade for Panthers' Brian Burns

The Los Angeles Rams reportedly offered the Carolina Panthers multiple first-round picks in exchange for defensive end Brian Burns.

Albert Breer of The MMQB (h/t Brendan Sugrue of Bears Wire) reported on the Rams' offer to Carolina on ESPN 1000 in Chicago on Tuesday.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler also reported the Rams offered two first-round picks for Burns and added that they included running back Cam Akers in those talks.

The Panthers have been active leading up to Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, trading running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals. However, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Carolina intends to keep Burns despite receiving a strong offer.

No team has been more aggressive on the trade market than the Rams in recent years. They dealt high draft picks in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey in 2019, quarterback Matthew Stafford before the 2021 season and pass-rusher Von Miller last November.

Those moves helped the Rams win the Super Bowl last season, but it also left them short on draft picks.

For the 2023 NFL draft, the Rams are without their picks in the first, fourth and fifth rounds, meaning they would have had to deal from future draft classes in a trade for Burns.

The 24-year-old Burns was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

In his fourth NFL season, he is on pace for his best statistical campaign yet with five sacks, 36 tackles and eight tackles for loss through eight games.

After recording 7.5 sacks as a rookie, Burns registered nine sacks in each of the past two seasons, and he earned his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2021.

Since the Panthers are seemingly in rebuilding mode, securing two future first-round picks may have been attractive, but keeping a young, productive pass-rusher could have more value.

Burns continues to improve, and he is under contract next season at a salary of $16 million after Carolina exercised his fifth-year option.

If Burns continues to play well, the Panthers may make a longer-term investment in him, and they would likely be happy to do so since a star pass-rusher is among the most important foundational pieces in the NFL.

For the Rams, the 2022 season has been disappointing as they are just 3-4 and in third place in the NFC West.

Despite their struggles, they have a golden opportunity to reach the playoffs given how weak the NFC is as a whole.

Even the Panthers aren't out of it at 2-6 as they trail the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons by only two games. That may have played into their decision to retain Burns.

While reportedly turning down two first-rounders for Burns could come back to bite the Panthers, they've already picked up extra second-, third- and fourth-round picks in the 2023 draft, so they have plenty of ammo to add young talent.