The New York Giants seem likely to make this critical move with Brian Burns.
New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns established himself as one of the brightest stars in the NFL during his second season with the team in 2025.
Burns racked up 67 tackles, 16.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, seven passes defended and 31 quarterback hits this season, earning a Pro Bowl appearance and notching a Second-Team All-Pro selection.
The 27-year-old signed a five-year, $150 million contract with the Giants in March 2024 and posted 71 tackles and 8.5 sacks during his debut campaign in the Big Apple, so Burns has been a very productive player for New York overall.
However, with the Giants having a rather challenging financial situation heading into 2026, they may need to try and trim Burns' $36.55 million cap number.
Ed Valentine of Big Blue View has proposed that New York restructures Burns' contract for next season, which seems like a strong possibility for the squad.
"In terms of restructures, I would not hesitate to do that with Burns," Valentine wrote. "Using OTC’s cap calculator, a Burns’ restructure would save $15.5M in cap space, driving his cap number from $36.55 million to $20.3 million."
New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.Remember: the Giants restructured Burns' deal last spring, too, converting $16 million of his base salary into a signing bonus.
Right now, New York has just $6.9 million in cap room, so reworking Burns' pact would be significant. The Giants have plenty of holes to fill this offseason, and they will obviously need more available cash to do that.
Burns is certainly not the only route to go, as New York can also cut some other players to save some more dollars. But restructuring Burns' contract should absolutely be on the table for both parties, and it would be surprising if it didn't happen.
The Giants have specific needs at defensive tackle, cornerback, wide receiver and offensive line, and it will obviously be difficult to rectify all of those issues in one fell swoop. Especially with messy cap circumstances.
But New York can make its job a lot easier by moving some money around, and it's something the Giants will absolutely begin doing before free agency.
We'll see how Joe Schoen and John Harbaugh wheel and deal in the coming weeks, but expect a Burns contract restructure to be one of the first orders of business.
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