Dan Salomone
Brian Burns' path to his third career Pro Bowl selection began at the third practice of training camp.
With temperatures approaching triple digits, Burns chased down a long catch-and-run by tight end Greg Dulcich and collided with wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, who lost a tooth on the play.
Burns didn't have to do it, but the hustle play was shown in team meetings and set the standard for what was to come for the team captain.
"If I'm going to run to the ball, you better run to the ball," Burns said at the time. "So, I can't sit here and preach 'run to the ball' and get on people's cases if I'm not doing it. There's going to be times where I'm not going to do it and I need them to get on me, but you can't get on me if you aren't doing it. It's holding each other accountable."
Burns laid on the grass for a minute on that late July afternoon, took a breath, tried to see what was really hurting, and then got back up. He was ready to go for practice the next day.
What followed was the best season of his career and one that rivals any by a Giant in recent memory.
Burns today was voted to the 2026 Pro Bowl Games. It is his third career selection, first with the Giants, and he will be a starter for the NFC squad. Burns also made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 as a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Burns finished first in the NFC in fan voting at outside linebacker and second league-wide behind Denver's Nik Bonitto.
Pro Bowl selections are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players, and coaches, with each group's vote counting as one-third. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches, and players to determine its all-star teams.
Through 16 weeks, Burns' 15 sacks are tied with Hall of Famers Michael Strahan (1998) and Lawrence Taylor (1989) for seventh-most in a single season in Giants history. Burns will have two more games to become just the third Giant ever to reach 20 sacks in a season. Only Strahan (22.5 in 2001) and Taylor (20.5 in 1986) have accomplished the feat.
Meanwhile, Burns' 20 tackles for loss are the most by a Giant since Jason Pierre-Paul recorded 23 in the 2011 championship season.
Most sacks by a Giants player, single season:
Burns is one of eight players ever to record at least 7.5 sacks in each of his first seven seasons. The others are Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, Aaron Donald, Ryan Kerrigan, and Yannick Ngakoue.
Burns spent his first five seasons in Carolina, where he was drafted 16th overall in 2019. Since then, he is tied with the Raiders' Maxx Crosby for fifth in the NFL with 69.5 sacks.
Most sacks in the NFL since 2019:
For the first time, the 2026 Pro Bowl Games powered by Verizon will move to Super Bowl LX Week in the San Francisco Bay Area. The event brings the league's top players together for an AFC vs. NFC flag football showdown, which will preview the elite athleticism and competition of the sport ahead of its LA28 Olympics debut.
The televised event will air live from San Francisco's Moscone Center South Building on Tuesday, Feb. 3, which will be transformed into a dynamic flag football arena. Coverage of the Pro Bowl Games powered by Verizon will begin on ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m. ET with the flag game at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN, Disney XD and ESPN Deportes.
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