Morgan Burnett is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nearly a decade. He was born on January 13, 1989, in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended Georgia Tech, where he played college football for the Yellow Jackets.
Burnett was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He quickly established himself as a reliable and versatile player, capable of playing both safety positions and contributing on special teams. In his rookie season, he played in all 16 games and recorded 14 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Over the next few years, Burnett continued to improve and become a key member of the Packers' defense. He played in 16 games in each of the next four seasons, recording at least 90 tackles in three of those seasons. He also had a career-high three interceptions in 2012.
In 2014, Burnett signed a four-year contract extension with the Packers worth $24.75 million. However, he struggled with injuries over the next few seasons, missing a total of 10 games between 2014 and 2016. Despite this, he remained a valuable player when healthy, recording 92 tackles and two interceptions in 2016.
After the 2017 season, the Packers released Burnett, and he signed a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his first season with the Steelers, he played in 11 games and recorded 30 tackles and six passes defended. However, he missed the final five games of the season due to injury.
Burnett's time with the Steelers was short-lived, as he was released after just one season. He then signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Browns but was released before the start of the 2019 season.
Overall, Burnett played in 120 NFL games over nine seasons, recording 747 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and 10 interceptions. He was known for his versatility, intelligence, and leadership on the field, and was respected by his teammates and coaches. Despite his injuries in the latter part of his career, Burnett was a consistent and reliable player who made a significant impact on the teams he played for.
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