Nate Burleson Bio, Age, Height, Football Career

Get to know the TV star and former NFL player

Name: Nate Burleson
Age: 42 years old
Date of Birth: August 19, 1981
Birth Place: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Relationship status: Married
Height: 6’ 0”
Weight: 198 lbs
Occupation: TV and sports personality
Best Known for: Good Morning Football, The NFL Today and Extra
Nationality: Canadian
Ethnicity: African American

Many people know Nate Burleson from the television shows Good Morning Football, The NFL Today and Extra. And CBS recently announced he will be joining “CBS This Morning” as co-host with Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil. But did you know he was a star receiver in the NFL? Let’s get to know the multi-talented TV and sports personality.

Nostradamus of the NFL:

Burleson predicted the two Super Bowl teams correctly before the 2020 season began: “I’ve got the Kansas City Chiefs repeating over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yes, Patrick Mahomes beats Tom Brady yet again in a big game to win the Super Bowl.” (from Good Morning Football)

Get to know Nate Burleson – TV personality, former football star

What is his full name?

His full name is Nathaniel Eugene Burleson.

What is Nate Burleson’s career?

He is a NFL commentator and TV personality for Good Morning Football (NFL Network), The NFL Today (CBS Sports) and Extra.

Where does he live?

Burleson and his family live in Ridgewood, NJ.

Is Nate Burleson married?

Yes Burleson is married to his wife Atoya Burleson. He and Atoya became engaged in 2003 during his early pro football career with the Minnesota Vikings.

The two were college sweethearts at University of Nevada. Atoya was a champion track star at the school.

Does Nate Burleson have any children?

He and his wife have three children. His sons are Nehemiah and Nathaniel II and his daughter’s name is Mia Pearl.

Who are Nate Burleson’s brothers?

The four Burleson brothers are all athletic. Nate’s oldest brother Alvin Burleson Jr. played college football at the University of Washington and Western Illinois.

His older brother Kevin played college basketball for the Minnesota Gophers and professional basketball for several international league teams. He also played for the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA for one season. Kevin is currently the Player Development coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team.

Nate’s younger brother Lyndale played basketball at the University of Nevada and one year in the German pro league.

Who are his parents?

Nate’s father Al Burleson was a defensive back for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League and also played for the Los Angeles Express of the USFL (United States Football League).

His mother is Valerie Burleson.

Is Kevin Burleson related to Nate Burleson?

Kevin Burleson, former college basketball and NBA player, is Nate’s older brother.

Where did Nate Burleson go to high school?

Burleson attended Lindbergh Senior High School and O’Dea High School in the Seattle area. He played basketball, football and ran track during this time.

As a sprinter and hurdler on the high school track and field team, Burleson won a state title in the 300 meter hurdles.

His high school honors include being named the City Athlete of the Year by the Seattle Times.

Where did Nate Burleson go to college?

Burleson hoped to attend his father’s alma mater, the University of Washington, after graduating from high school. But they did not offer him a football scholarship, so he elected to attend the University of Nevada, Reno instead.

He played for the Wolf Pack football team for three seasons from 2000 to 2002. His 138 receptions in 2002 for the team was the second highest total in NCAA history.

During his senior year, he led NCAA in receiving yards and receptions per game.

His collegiate honors include:

First team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association
All-WAC by the Western Athletic Conference
Wolf Pack team MVP
Second team All-America by The Sporting News and CNN/SI
Holds Nevada and WAC records for single game receptions (19)

Nate Burleson college stats

248 receptions
3,293 yards
22 touchdowns

7 Nate Burleson fun facts:

1.) Brothers Kevin and Nate Burleson share a unique honor with one other brother tandem. They are the only siblings in which one brother played in the NBA and the other in the NFL.

2.) Nate has a maple leaf tattoo, representing and honoring his Canadian heritage. He even once expressed interest in playing for the Canadian football team in the World Cup.

3.) He graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in human development and family studies.

4.) After his car accident while trying to adjust a pizza box while driving, Burleson was awarded a year’s supply of free pizza from DiGiorno.

5.) Burleson was given the “Good Guy Award” for his good-natured interactions with the Detroit media.

6.) Nate the rapper? He rapped on the song “Put in Work” by Wizdom (featuring Wu Tang Clan).

7.) He is a self-described foodie, and is especially fond of burgers.

Nate Burleson pro football career

NFL Draft – When was Nate Burleson drafted?

Burleson was chosen in the 3rd round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He was the 71st overall pick.

NFL career

Burleson’s break out season came in 2004 with the Minnesota Vikings after teammate Randy Moss injured his hamstring. Burleson caught 68 balls for 1,006 yards that year.

What position did Nate Burleson play?

He was a wide receiver and return specialist on both kicks and punts.

What NFL teams did Nate Burleson play for?

He saw action on three different teams over his career, the Minnesota Vikings for three seasons, the Seattle Seahawks for four seasons and the Detroit Lions for his final four seasons. He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 but was cut before the regular season began.

Nate Burleson number: What number did he wear on his jersey?

Nate wore jersey number 81 with the Vikings and Seahawks to honor his father, who wore the same number in high school. When he joined the Detroit Lions, he changed his jersey number to 13. Superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson already wore #81 on the team.

VIDEO: Nate Burleson NFL highlights

NFL stats – career totals:

Games played: 135
Years played: 11 seasons from 2003 to 2013
Receptions: 457
Receiving yards: 5,630
Receiving touchdowns: 39
Total return yards: 2,809
Return touchdowns: 4

Does Nate Burleson have a Super Bowl ring?

No, he does not have a Super Bowl ring.

Is Nate Burleson in the Hall of Fame?

Burleson is not in the NFL Hall of Fame, but was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

What happened with Nate Burleson and pizza?

In 2013 Burleson was driving his 2009 GMC Yukon in Farmington Hills, Michigan when he reached over to adjust a pizza box from falling off his passenger seat.

The distraction caused a single-car crash. He hit the median wall of the freeway and a broke his arm in two places. In the final season of his career, Burleson played in only 9 games with the Lions.

Nate Burleson’s broadcasting career

Burleson began his broadcasting career by attending the NFL Broadcast Boot Camp in 2012. One of his first TV jobs was working on the broadcast team for Lions preseason games for the Detroit Lions Television Network.

By 2014 he was hired by the NFL Network as a game analyst.

When did he join Good Morning Football (GMFB)?

He joined the GMFB team in 2016.

Who are the hosts of GMFB?

Burleson hosts along with Kay Adams, Peter Schrager and Kyle Brandt.

Is GMFB scripted?

According to network executives, the show is not scripted.

When did he join The NFL Today?

In 2017 Burleson joined The NFL Today on CBS as a studio analyst, joining co-hosts James Brown, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esaison and Phil Simms.

VIDEO: Nate interviews Jennifer Lopez

When did he join the entertainment show Extra?

Warner Bros. TV’s Extra is a entertainment newsmagazine hosted by Billy Bush. Nate joined the show in 2019 as a New York correspondent, covering celebrity and entertainment news.

Who are the Extra show correspondents?

Nate Burleson is joined by Jennifer Lahmers, Cheslie Kryst, Renee Bargh, Charissa Thompson, Jana Kramer, Terri Seymour, Michael Corbett and Adam Glassman on the show.

What is Nate Burleson’s net worth?

He is estimated to be worth well over $10 million.

Salary – how much does Nate Burleson make a year?

The NFL Network pays him $2.75 million per year. Add in the salaries from his other gigs and you can see he is doing quite well!

What are his business interests?

Nate’s passion is all about style and the clothing he wears. In 2010 he launched his own clothing line called Lionblood. He also partnered with William Malcom to create a line of business suits called B LINE.

Burleson signed with DraftKings in 2019 to be the voice for their ad campaign.

What are his charities?

He teamed up with NFL players Marcel Reece, Eric Weddle and Rashad Jennings in a partnership with shoe company Awl and Sundry to send shoes to African children.

Social media

Instagram: @nateburleson
Twitter: @nateburleson
Facebook: @NateBurleson

Nate Burleson quotes

On his approach to broadcasting

For so long, traditional football TV catered to one demographic: The middle-aged man who loves everything about football. You’ve got to realize there are children who are just learning about the game. There are 30-year-old guys who are on the fence and their only interest is being in fantasy. There are women who know more about football than their boyfriends. Maybe they are looking for some talk about fashion along with fantasy football?

You have to look at creative ways to reach those people. Fans don’t know what they like until you give them something they like.

Every day, man. You’ve got to have the energy every day.

Nate Burleson quotes about Good Morning Football

Once I was offered the “Good Morning Football” job, at first I said no. Why would I want to get up at 4 in the morning? I’m a retired athlete. I retired so I could live a stress-free life. Why would I wake up at 4 in the morning, have to study scripts and study games, get back in the film room, write scripts for the Prompter, read the Prompter, toss the news, work on all these skill sets that I don’t have, what’s the point? I remember telling myself I’m not going to do it.

The biggest thing I learned is that I didn’t know anything. It was like being a rookie and the coach saying, ‘You might think you’re hot stuff, but I’m going to put you in your place.’ I realized there was a lot more to it than just being good at answering questions after a game. It was an eye-opener.

When I first got to the NFL Network, I was just like every other player protecting brand, protecting the fraternity. I was always complimenting guys and I never wanted to step on people’s feelings.

More quotes about GMFB

I remember, one of my mentors was like, ‘Say something.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean? I am saying something, I was clever. I’m clever, I make people laugh, I smile.” He was like, ‘You did that in the locker room, but say something, man. You know the game. Take a risk and criticize these players. They’ll respect you more when they see you.’ I was like, ‘Damn, this feels so awkward.’

It literally was a cringeworthy feeling when I had to criticize a guy, even when I knew the player was in the wrong, like he dropped the ball or said something stupid.

We want our show to be a destination in the morning. Our ultimate goal is to transcend football television. If Steph Curry hits a game-winning shot, we’re going to talk about it. If Tiger Woods makes a comeback, we’re going to talk about it. Maybe there’s a new movie or something in fashion. We’ll talk about that. I want everyone to stop in.

NFL Network was the place for me. It felt like home.

Basically it is ‘Good Morning Football’ meets ‘Good Morning America’.

On Extra

Initially, there were a few entertainment networks reaching out. I wanted to stick my toe in the water of that space. “Extra” had a plan for what they wanted out of me. I met with them in L.A., had multiple phone calls, I was in their offices here in New York.

On his TV broadcasting career

I went to boot camp (in 2012), and that’s when everything started changing. That’s when I met J.B. (James Brown, host of “The NFL Today”) for the first time, and we had an extended conversation.

It was almost like getting drafted again. (on auditioning for CBS)

When I first moved to New York three years ago, I didn’t turn down a job. I literally said yes to everything, and it stressed me out. That was before I accepted “The NFL Today” gig. Now I’m a little bit more selective, and I’m working at my own convenience. It gives me the ability to give 100 percent of myself. I don’t want to spread myself too thin.

Quotes about Nate Burleson

Nate didn’t want to play football at first, until he got into it.
– Al Burleson Sr., Nate’s father

Nate is always the middle child, struggling for attention.
– Al Burleson Sr., Nate’s father

We had all watched him; we had all met him. It was kind of from our standpoint a unanimous no-brainer that he was the right guy for the job.
– Sean McManus, CBS Sports chairman

I think he’s got a lot of credibility having retired fairly recently from the game. His credibility and his perspective on the league and its players is first rate. His presentation is smooth yet he can be very passionate about what he’s talking about and he feels strongly about his opinions. The fact that he lives and breathes NFL football seven days a week gives him a really solid perspective and a really good foundation of knowledge that he presents to an audience.
– Sean McManus, CBS Sports chairman

Quotes from Mark Lepselter, Burleson’s agent:

It elevates Nate where he is becoming more and more of a transcendent, crossover talent. (on Burleson joining TV show Extra)

Nate has the appetite, the ability and the gravitas to do whatever he wants in the sports and entertainment broadcasting world.

I’ve said for some time now that I truly really believe Nate is going to cross over into the lifestyle/entertainment-hosting world in a significant way. We’re in the process of that happening. It’s something we‘re going about in a methodical way. We’ve had some high level meetings in LA and New York. I will leave it at that.

— Claire Evans

Claire writes about pop culture, entertainment, personalities, and movies.

# # #