Michael Burton (born February 1, 1992) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

, and was drafted by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in the fifth round of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. He has also played for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

Early years

Burton attended and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

West Morris Central High School West Morris Central High School (WMCHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. It is one of two high schools in ...

in Washington Township , New Jersey.

College career

Burton played college football at

from

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. In the 2011 season, he had 10 carries for 44 rushing yards to go along with 10 receptions for 68 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. In the 2012 season, he had three receptions for 34 receiving yards in four games. In the 2013 season, he had 19 receptions for 149 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In his final collegiate season in 2014, he had 15 receptions for 150 receiving yards.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Burton was drafted by the

in the fifth round (168th overall) of the

. On May 12, 2015, the Detroit Lions signed Burton to a four-year, $2.46 million contract with a signing bonus of $184,356. He entered training camp competing with Emil Igwenagu to be the Detroit Lions' starting fullback. He won the job and was named their starting fullback to begin the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Lions' season-opener against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. The next game, Burton had his first career carry for a two-yard gain in a 16–26 loss to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

. On October 5, 2015, he made his first career catch on a three-yard pass from

Matt Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected ...

and finished the 10–13 loss to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

with one carry for no yards and one catch for three yards. On December 21, 2015, Burton caught his first career touchdown on a four-yard pass from Stafford and finished the 35–27 win over the

with two receptions for ten yards and one touchdown. He finished his rookie season with four carries for two rushing yards and six receptions for 39 receiving yards and a touchdown, while starting seven games and appearing in all 16. Burton entered his second season as the Lions' ''de facto'' starter at fullback. Although he appeared in 15 games, he wasn't credited with an official start in any of them and also did not receive any carries or receptions throughout his second year. On May 30, 2017, Burton was waived by the Lions.

Chicago Bears

Burton was claimed off waivers by the

on May 31, 2017.. On September 10, 2017, in his Bears debut, Burton had one rush for seven yards in the 23–17 home loss to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...

. On the 2017 season, he had four carries for nine rushing yards to go along with two receptions for eight receiving yards. The following season Burton played in eight games with one start, mostly working as a blocking back.

New Orleans Saints

On May 13, 2019, Burton signed with the

. He was released on August 31, 2019.

Washington Redskins

200px, Burton (#45) playing for the Washington Redskins in 2019. Burton signed with the

on October 15, 2019.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On March 23, 2020, Burton signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list by the team on January 2, 2021, and activated on January 6.

Kansas City Chiefs

Burton signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

on April 5, 2021. In the Chiefs week 15 game against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

, he scored his first career rushing touchdown on a seven-yard run. On March 21, 2022, Burton re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year deal for an undisclosed amount. Burton won

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII is the upcoming championship game of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 NFL season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It will be the fourth Super B ...

when the Chiefs defeated the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

38-35.

Denver Broncos

On March 17, 2023, the

signed Burton to a one-year contract.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioRutgers Scarlet Knights bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Michael 1992 births Living people American football fullbacks Chicago Bears players Denver Broncos players Detroit Lions players Kansas City Chiefs players New Orleans Saints players Washington Redskins players People from Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players Sportspeople from Morris County, New Jersey West Morris Central High School alumni