Nate Burleson : Wife, Stats, Salary, Vikings, CBS & NFL

Nate Burleson is a Canadian-born former football wide receiver and return specialist in the NFL and is currently a television host and American football commentator. As a professional player, he played for various famous NFL teams like Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns.

Nate Burleson’s passion for never giving up on sports, even after his retirement, is truly inspiring for many.

Moreover, Burleson rapped on multiple songs by Wizdom under the moniker “New Balance.”

Nate and his wife, Atoya, have two sons and a daughter. After his car accident in 2013, DiGiorno gave Burleson a year’s supply of free pizza.

Moreover, after his retirement, he has worked for the NFL Network, CBS Sports, and as a News correspondent for Extra.

Furthermore, let’s look inside the life of someone who never missed a single chance to dedicate his whole life to his favorite sport.

Before diving in-depth, let’s jump into some of Burleson’s quick facts.

Nate Burleson | Quick Facts

Nate Burleson | Early Life, Family, & Education

Renowned commentator Burleson was born on August 19th, 1981, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to his proud parents, Alvin Burleson and Valerie Lynn Burleson.

His father, Alvin Burleson, is a former American gridiron football athlete.

Initially, he played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the CFL team Calgary Stampeders as a defensive back from 1976 until 1981.

Later, in 1983, he played in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Los Angeles Express.

After his father’s USFL career, the Burleson family moved to the United States from Canada. Moreover, Nate has three siblings.

His oldest brother Alvin Burleson Jr. played college football representing Western Illinois University and the University of Washington.

Similarly, Nate’s second older brother Kevin Burleson was a National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball athlete.

He played in a point guard position for the Charlotte Bobcats. Currently, he works as a player development coach.

Furthermore, Nate’s younger brother Lyndale Burleson played college basketball representing the University of Nevada.

Nate and Kevin are only two of four siblings who played sports professionally. A very athletic and productive family indeed.

Also, Nate is a Leo. People with Leo as their sun sign are mostly known for their ambitious and confident nature.

Nate Burleson | Age, Height, and Body Measurements

Nate has an athletic build, stands at 1.83m, and weighs around 198 lbs.

Nate Burleson | Education

As for Burleson’s education, he attended Rainier View Elementary School located in Seattle. 

He initially attended Lindbergh High School in the suburb of Renton for his freshman year.

Later, Nate completed his high school graduation from O’Dea High School, located in Seattle.

During his senior year in high school, the Seattle Times named Burleson the City Athlete of the Year.

Moreover, for college Nate attended the University of Nevada, a public land-grant research University located in Reno.

Nate Burleson | Career and Profession

Before hopping into Nate’s professional career and achievements, let’s look into his remarkable college career first.

College Career

Initially, Nate’s college choice was his father’s alma mater, the University of Washington.

However, the college didn’t offer him a football scholarship, and he opted to attend the University of Nevada, where he accepted the scholarship offer.

There he played for the college football team, Nevada Wolf Pack.

During the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season of 2002, Nate gained 128 interceptions, the second-highest interception in NCAA’s history.

In his senior year, Burleson led in both receiving yards and receptions per game in the NCAA.

His total stats were 22 touchdowns and 248 receptions for 3,293 yards during his time at the University.

For his fantastic performance, the American Football Coaches Association named him first-team All-America, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) named him All-WAC, and the team’s Most Valuable Player.

Similarly, The Sporting News and CNN/SI named Nate to second-team All-America. Currently, he holds Nevada records for single-game receptions with 19 catches and WAC.

Burleson graduated with human development and family studies degree.

Professional Career

Minnesota Vikings

Burleson’s professional career took off when the Minnesota Vikings selected him during the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft as the 71st overall pick.

Nate showcased fair play during his rookie season. However, his numbers were not as good as his capability.

In the 2004 season, after Viking’s official receiver Randy Moss’s injury, The team saw him as a threat because of his previous year’s performance.

Burleson was Viking’s only option, so they went along with it.

Even though nobody expected anything, Nate put up impressive numbers and reached 1,000 receiving yards, which was the first time in his career.

Undoubtedly, Nate was a great receiver, and he was a standout special teams player as well.

He is the only player in the history of the NFL to have 90 or more yards on three punt returns. 

Seattle Seahawks

After playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Nate signed a seven-year offer sheet worth $49 million on March 24th, 2006, with his hometown team, the Seattle Seahawks.

The offer sheet declared that the Seahawks would offer the entire $49 million if Nate played for five games in one season in Minnesota or if his average per year surpassed the average of all running backs on the team joined.

Sadly, Nate tore a ligament in his knee in Seattle’s season opener set to play against the Bills on September 7th, 2008.

However, the team put him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Burleson owns the Seahawk team record for most punt return yards during a single season.

Detroit Lions

Moreover, in the early hours of the NFL free agency period, Nate agreed to a five-year contract worth $25 million with the Detroit Lions on March 5th, 2010, reuniting with his former offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan.

Nate had the best season of his career in 2004 while playing for the Vikings alongside Linehan as an offensive coordinator, where he caught 1,006 yards with 68 passes and nine touchdowns.

In 2011, the Lions named Nate the winner of the Detroit Lions-Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association/Pro Football Writers Association’s Media-Friendly “Good Guy Award” for his communications with the media.

On September 24th, 2013, Nate fractured his forearm in two places because of an early morning single-car accident on Interstate 696 heading westbound near Drake Road in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Nate complained about pain in his arm and was immediately transported by the Police to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

He had to go through surgery. Reportedly, Nate was trying to save a pizza from falling off a seat in his car and lost control of his vehicle.

Moreover, because of his injury, Nate missed the final ten games of the 2013 season.

Upon his return, the team awarded him the Ed Block Courage Award. On February 13th, 2014, he was released by the Detroit Lions. 

Before his accident, Burleson led the team with 19 receptions for the 2013 season, including six receptions for 119 yards in a 27-20 win while playing against Washington, his most productive game.

Cleveland Browns

Nate signed a one-year contract deal with the Cleveland Browns on April 6th, 2014.

However, the Browns cut him from the team on February 13th, 2014, as he was dealing with a lingering hamstring and played only in one preseason game.

In the preseason, he caught one pass on two targets for 27 yards during the finale.

Nate Burleson – Career Statistics

Burleson on the football field is a treat to watch. He indeed had a mesmerizing football career. You can watch his career statistics on the website of NFL.

Broadcasting Career

After bidding farewell to his professional football-playing career in 2014, he couldn’t end his football relationship yet. Hence, he paved the way for the NFL Network and started working as an analyst.

During 2015, Nate was a member of the Detroit Lions preseason broadcast team representing the Detroit Lions Television Network color commentator or expert commentator.

Moreover, in 2016, Burleson and co-hosts Kay Adams, Peter Schrager, and Kyle Brandt debuted Good Morning Football on the NFL Network.

Also, he participated as a studio analyst for The NFL Today for the 2017 season while still serving as co-host of Good Morning Football on the CBS team.

Burleson’s football career is still paying off, even in retirement. He’s found a home in the media, covering the NFL and serving as an Extra correspondent.

Nate Burleson | Net Worth

Burleson has earned over $50 million during his professional career. The first three-year contract of his career with the Vikings was worth around $1.4 million, with approximately $52k as a signing bonus.

Similarly, he signed a seven-year offer sheet worth $49 million with the Seattle Seahawks and, lastly, a $25 million contract deal including a signing bonus of $3.5 million with the Detroit Lions.

After his retirement in 2014, he started working as a commentator and owned a clothing line called the Lion Blood. Also, he loves collecting shoes.

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