Husker Legend Rex Burkhead Retires From NFL After 10 Seasons

Savvy veteran Rex Burkhead announced his retirement from the NFL after ten seasons with three different teams.

Burkhead was drafted as a sixth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013 and played with them for three seasons before joining his most memorable years in the league with the New England Patriots, where he was part of their Super Bowl-winning season in 2018. In 2021, he signed with the Houston Texans and played for them in two seasons. His 2023-24 season was cut short due to a torn ACL, which he suffered in a loss to the Patriots in late November last year.

One of the most memorable moments of his career came during his championship season with the Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs, who were just crowned as the Super Bowl LVIII champions on Sunday night.

He scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime in the AFC championship game.

The Dallas-native running back finished his NFL career with 1,908 rushing yards, 1,534 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns in over 115 games played.

Before that, Burkhead established himself as a cornhusker at Nebraska University. As a hard-nosed rushing and receiving threat, Burkhead won the support of his fans in college. He achieved several accomplishments on the field, including being ranked No. 6 all-time in rushing yards at the school, having amassed a total of 3,329 yards and 29 touchdowns during his time there. During his junior season, he gained over 1,500 scrimmage yards and was named to the first team in the all-Big-Ten conference.

Now, he’ll lace up the cleats after a remarkable football career at 33 years of age.

Article by Nathan Weick

USports writing intern and second year student-athlete at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA pursuing BA in Professional Writing and BA in Spanish/Hispanic Cultures. Juniata College Mens Soccer Captain and former president of the Juniata College Class of 2026.