Rex Burkhead (born July 2, 1990) 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 ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
for the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
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 ...
at
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
and was selected by the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
in the sixth round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. After four seasons with the Bengals, Burkhead spent his next four seasons with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, where he appeared in consecutive
Super Bowls
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
and won
Super Bowl LIII
Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...
. Burkhead joined the Texans in 2021.
Early life
Burkhead was born in
Winchester, Kentucky
Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 18,368 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located ro ...
, and raised in the
Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. He attended
Plano Senior High School
Plano Senior High School (commonly Plano, Plano Senior High, or PSHS) is a public high school, public secondary school in Plano, Texas, serving students in grades eleventh grade, 11–twelfth grade, 12. The school is part of the Plano Independ ...
in
Plano, Texas, where he 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 ...
for the Wildcats. Burkhead was on the varsity team for all four years of his high school career and even played in the division 5A basketball playoffs his senior year. As a junior, he rushed for 1,762 yards and 28
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
, leading the school to a state semifinal appearance in the Texas 5-A football playoffs. He earned first-team all-district honors in basketball as a junior and senior, and as a freshman he was part of Class 5A state championship basketball team.
College career
As a freshman at the University of Nebraska in 2009, Burkhead played in nine games, rushing for 346 yards on 81 carries with three
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
. As a sophomore in 2010, Burkhead was second on the depth chart behind senior
Roy Helu
Roy Ziegler Helu Jr. (born December 7, 1988) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.
Helu set the Redskins' franc ...
. Burkhead played in all 14 games as the backup, and rushed for 951 yards on 172 carries and seven touchdowns. In 2011, Burkhead took over as the starting running back as a junior. Nebraska had little experience at running back that season, and Burkhead got the majority of the carries, including a school-record 38 carries against the
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 22 sports, 8 for men and 14 for women; a 15th women's sport will be added in 2023. The teams partici ...
. He ended up rushing for 1,357 yards on 284 carries with 15 touchdowns and was named a first team All-Big Ten selection. In 2012, with expectations high, Burkhead sprained his knee in the season opener and missed two games before re-injuring the knee four games later. Burkhead missed six games total in the season, but still finished with five touchdowns and 675 yards on 98 carries for a 6.9 yard average.
He was considered the ninth or tenth best running back prospect for the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
and was ranked in the top 150 overall.
He graduated from Nebraska in three-and-a-half years with a bachelor's degree in history. He earned repeated scholar-athlete awards throughout his career, including first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2011 and 2012, and recognition as one of 15 National Football Foundation Scholar Athletes in 2012.
College statistics
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals
After being selected by the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
in the sixth round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
with the 190th overall pick, Burkhead signed with the team on May 13, 2013.
2013 season
Burkhead played in all four preseason games, rushing 28 times for 130 yards with one touchdown, and five receptions for 39 yards. However, plagued by a hamstring injury all season, he was active for only one of the team's 16 games, making his NFL debut on November 10 playing on special teams in a 20–17 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
.
2014 season
![Rex Burkhead 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Rex_Burkhead_2013.jpg)
In 2014, Burkhead played in nine games for the Bengals, mainly on special teams. On offense, he had nine rushes for 27 yards and his first career touchdown (against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
) and seven receptions for 49 yards. He had the most productive game of his career in the Bengals'
Wild Card Round loss to the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
, in which Burkhead started at
wide receiver and totaled three receptions for 34 yards and one rush for 23 yards.
2015 season
Burkhead played in all 16 regular season games for the Bengals, seeing action primarily on special teams. As a running back, he rushed four times for four yards, while catching 10 passes for 94 yards and a receiving touchdown.
2016 season
Burkhead appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Bengals, including one start at running back. With regular playing time on offense, he rushed 74 times for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 17 passes for 145 yards. In the Bengals' Week 17 game against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, Burkhead carried the ball 27 times for 119 yards.
New England Patriots
On March 14, 2017, Burkhead signed a one-year contract with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
worth up to $3.15 million.
2017 season: Super Bowl LII appearance
On September 7, on ''
Thursday Night Football
''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
'', Burkhead made his debut as a member of the Patriots. He was in the starting lineup and had three rushes for 15 yards and one reception for eight yards in the 42–27 loss to 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 September 17, against the
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 ...
in Week 2, he recorded his first touchdown as a member of the Patriots when he hauled in a 19-yard pass from quarterback
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
in the first quarter of the 36–20 victory. He finished the game with three receptions for 41 yards. On November 12, 2017, during Week 10 against 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 ...
, Burkhead had 10 rushes for 36 rushing yards, three receptions for 27 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, and a blocked punt. He thus became the first player to both catch a touchdown pass and block a punt in the same NFL game since 1977. Burkhead finished his first season with the Patriots with 64 carries for 264 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns and recorded 30 catches for 254 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In the playoffs, the Patriots defeated the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
in the
Divisional Round without Burkhead, but Burkhead returned for the
AFC Championship Game
The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
where he recorded one carry for five yards in the 24–20 victory against the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
to reach
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...
. The Patriots lost 41–33 to 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 ...
. Burkhead recorded three carries for 18 yards and caught a pass for 46 yards in the Super Bowl.
2018 season: Super Bowl LIII championship
On March 14, 2018, Burkhead signed a three-year contract extension with the Patriots. In Week 3 against 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 ...
, Burkhead suffered a neck injury and was placed on injured reserve on September 26, 2018. He was activated off injured reserve on November 26, 2018. The Patriots won the AFC East and earned the #2-seed for the AFC Playoffs.
On January 13, 2019, Burkhead scored his first-ever postseason touchdown in the
Divisional Round with a six-yard run 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 ...
in a game New England won 41–28. One week later, he scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime as part of the
2019 AFC Championship game against 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 ...
. The Patriots won the coin toss, which eventually set up the offense with a 1st and 10 at the Kansas City 15-yard line. Burkhead ran up the middle for 10 yards and another three yards on the next play setting up 1st and Goal. Burkhead ran again up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown, sending the Patriots to
Super Bowl LIII
Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...
. Before his overtime touchdown, Burkhead had previously scored a rushing touchdown with 39 seconds left to give the Patriots a 31–28 lead, though the Chiefs responded with a 39-yard field goal to force overtime. Burkhead finished the game with 12 carries for 41 yards and two rushing touchdowns and had the game's longest run from scrimmage (14 yards). He also had four receptions for 28 yards.
During the Super Bowl, Burkhead finished with 43 rushing yards, had the longest rushing play of the game (26 yards, tied with
Sony Michel
Sony Michel (born February 17, 1995) is an American football running back for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round o ...
), and led all running backs from both teams with a 6.1 yards-per-carry average, as the Patriots defeated the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
by a score of 13–3 in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history. In New England's three playoff games, Burkhead totaled seven receptions on seven targets for 45 yards and registered one tackle on special teams.
2019 season
In the 2019 season, Burkhead finished with 302 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 27 receptions for 279 receiving yards in 13 games.
2020 season
In Week 3 of the 2020 season, Burkhead recorded 98 scrimmage yards to go along with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in the 36–20 victory over the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
. In Week 10 against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
on ''Sunday Night Football'', Burkhead had two receiving touchdowns, including one thrown by wide receiver
Jakobi Meyers
Jakobi Meyers (born November 9, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at NC State and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free ...
on a trick play, during the 23–17 victory. On November 22, 2020, Burkhead suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 27–20 loss to the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on November 28, 2020. He finished the 2020 season with 67 carries for 274 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 25 receptions for 192 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Houston Texans
2021 season
On June 1, 2021, Burkhead signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
that included a $125K signing bonus. In Week 16, 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 ...
, Burkhead finished the game with a career high 149 rushing yards along with two touchdowns in the 41–29 victory. For his performance, Burkhead was named the
FedEx Ground Player of the Week. Overall, in the 2021 season, Burkhead finished with 122 carries for 427 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 25 receptions for 186 receiving yards.
2022 season
On January 7, 2022, Burkhead signed a contract extension with the Texans through the 2022 season.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Personal life
Burkhead is married to Danielle Burkhead. They have two sons together.
Burkhead was the 2012 winner of the
Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion award. He was awarded for his work with a 6-year-old suffering from a rare pediatric brain tumor called a low-grade glioma. Burkhead's commitment to community
service has been personified by his friendship with that child,
Jack Hoffman
Jack Hoffman (born September 26, 2005), from Atkinson, Nebraska, is a current high school football player and Pediatrics, pediatric Brain tumor, brain cancer patient. In 2012, between his first and second brain surgeries, he was introduced to Re ...
, a cancer patient from
Atkinson, Nebraska
Atkinson is a city in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,245 at the 2010 census.
History
The first settlement at Atkinson was made ''circa'' 1875. Atkinson was platted in 1880, when the railroad was extended to that point ...
. Jack contacted Nebraska in 2011, asking for a Burkhead photo. Burkhead offered to meet Jack, and his involvement in their relationship led to national notice when he arranged for Jack to suit up in a Cornhusker uniform and “run for a touchdown” in the 2013 Nebraska spring football game before a crowd of more than 60,000. President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
responded by inviting Jack and his family to the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
, and the family included Burkhead in its party. In honor of Jack Hoffman, Burkhead launched the Team Jack Foundation.
References
External links
*
Houston Texans bioNebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burkhead, Rex
1990 births
Living people
Players of American football from Lexington, Kentucky
American football running backs
Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
Cincinnati Bengals players
New England Patriots players
Houston Texans players