Former patriots RB Announces Retirement.
Rex burkhead played ten NFL seasons as a sixth-round pick despite being a sixth-round pick. The veteran running back did not play during the 2023 season and would not attempt to return.
On monday, the former bengals, patriots, and texans back announced his retirement. Burkhead’s most notable work will be in new england, and it will close a productive career as a supplementary back. Burkhead, 33, did go to las vegas for a workout with the raiders last summer, but there was no chance of him and josh McDaniels meeting again in the 2017 offseason, when the patriots signed him and legarrette blount in free agency.
Over the next four years, burkhead and james white have been constants in the pats’ backfield, with dion lewis, sony michel, damien harris, and cordarrelle patterson joining in at various points. Burkhead was primarily used as a backup running back and an auxiliary pass catcher for the patriots. In 2017, he scored eight touchdowns (three receiving), but his most memorable contribution came during the ’18 playoffs.
The patriots saved an ir-return slot for burkhead, who had suffered a concussion in the early season, when NFL rules only allowed teams to bring two players off ir in a season. In the 2018 AFC championship match, the 1-seeded team will face a 1-seeded team. In kansas city, the pats won an overtime thriller. Burkhead scored in the final minute of regulation to give the pats a lead and then secured a walk-off victory for the visitors after a 2-yard td to cap off overtime.
Soon after, burkhead was given a super bowl ring. Burkhead was part of a packed bengals backfield earlier in the decade, with giovani bernard and jeremy hill taking the bulk of the work. Burkhead only surpassed 100 scrimmage yards in one of his four cincinnati seasons, his 2016 platform year, but the patriots gave him three contracts, the most notable being a three-year, $9.75 million deal in 2018.
Burkhead completed two more deals with the texans after completing his career with the texans, one of which was run by ex-patriots exec nick caserio.
Burkhead led the texans to defeat the chargers in week 16 of the season, but the bolts lost out on a playoff spot. Burkhead finished the 2021 season with a career-high 427 rushing yards. Burkhead earned just over $18 million during his career.
