Brian Burns’ future with the Carolina Panthers is hanging in the balance.

The edge rusher is currently playing out the final year of his contract, and with Burns being due a rather significant payday in the offseason, the Panthers may have to trade him to recoup some value rather than risking losing him in free agency.

Burns wanted a new deal ahead of the 2023 campaign, but Carolina was unable to meet his demands of $26-28 million annually.

With the Panthers getting off to an 0-2 start, the chances of the club trading him before the Oct. 31 deadline seem rather high.

Vincent Frank of SportsNaut names the Baltimore Ravens as a team that could potentially have interest in Burns, and with the Ravens aiming to make a deep playoff run, that’s hardly surprising.

Baltimore could send a 2024 second-round draft pick as well as a fourth-rounder Carolina’s way in exchange for Burns in a deal that would satisfy both teams.

The Ravens will add a terrific pass rusher to what is already an impressive defensive unit, and the Panthers will land a couple of picks to use next spring in their rebuilding process.

Through two games this season, Burns has already logged nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.

Burns, who played his collegiate football at Florida State, was selected by Carolina with the 16th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.

It didn’t take long for the Fort Lauderdale, Fl. native to make an impact, as Burns tallied 25 tackles and 7.5 sacks during his rookie campaign. He followed that up with 58 tackles and nine sacks in 2020 before making back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022.

Brian Burns’ most impressive campaign to date came last season, when he racked up 63 stops and 12.5 sacks.

The Ravens have gotten off to a 2-0 start and will host the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday. Meanwhile, the struggling Panthers will head on the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks.