Trio of Panthers Mentioned in NFL.com's Top 101 Free Agents

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com ranked three Pnathers in his top 101 free agents list earlier this week. Below, you'll find Rosenthal's analysis along with my prediction on their future with Carolina.

Brian Burns - No. 5

There’s a reason the Panthers reportedly turned down multiple first-round picks from the Rams for Burns back during the 2022 season. Top-15 edge rushers in their prime are hard to find.

Prediction: A franchise tag seems very likely at this point. I don't believe the Panthers are just going to let Burns walk out the door. Getting a long-term deal is possible, but I'd lean to the tag coming into play, giving the two sides another year to meet in the middle.

Frankie Luvu - No. 26

The league leader in inspiring others to yell “Who was THAT?” over the last two seasons. Luvu gets extra credit for doing it in Carolina. 

Prediction: Luvu is a very important piece to the Panthers' defense and GM Dan Morgan knows that. This past Tuesday, he expressed his interest in wanting to extend Luvu while speaking with the media at the NFL Combine. I'm pretty confident they'll get something done.

Jeremy Chinn - No. 76

If Chinn had been a free agent two years ago, he would've ranked in the top 30. Injuries and his linebacker-like skill set, which fell out of favor during his time under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, hurt Chinn's overall value, but the talent is in there for the right coach to bring out.

Prediction: Unless something completely changed since the end of the season, I'd be surprised if Chinn returned to Carolina. He saw a massive decrease in playing time in Ejiro Evero's defense and told reporters at the end of the year that he was "surprised" by his usage.