Former Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton is set to participate in the Bills’ rookie minicamp, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Burton, 24, was a third-round pick in 2024 and arrived in Cincinnati with the hopes of becoming a reliable complement to star wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He played little as a rookie (only 131 snaps over 14 games) and caught just four of his 14 targets for 107 yards. Pre-draft concerns about his character and maturity turned out to be well-founded. Burton was accused of assault in December and did not travel with the team for their season finale in Pittsburgh due to a coach’s decision.
The Bengals hoped Burton could turn things around in 2025, but he did not appear in a single game. He was suspended in Week 14, waived shortly after, and received virtually no interest this offseason until the Bills came calling.
At Buffalo’s rookie camp, Burton will have to first earn a 90-man roster spot by showing he can still be the player who led the SEC with 20.5 yards per reception in 2023 – without the off-field issues. The Bills’ current wide receiver room is headlined by D.J. Moore and Khalil Shakir with Josh Palmer serving as the No. 3, though fourth-round pick Skyler Bell could push for a role as a rookie.
At present, Burton does not even factor into that equation, but the talent is there. He is still relatively young and will come cheap until and unless he proves he truly belongs in the NFL.
Talented player, but wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole, especially as a first time head coach.
A minicamp tryout is fair. He’d probably have been better served by playing in the UFL or going to the CFL.
He entered the league with multiple college programs leaking widely what a terrible guy he is, he behaved badly on the field in college, he was arrested in an ugly incident in 2024, and then he was suspended and released less than two years after costing a third round pick for reasons we don’t even know. I would not let that guy in my building. There are enough other receivers.
He’s an idiot
This guy seems like he would be better served taking a year off the game (unless you count last year I guess) to work on himself. Talented guy, clearly problematic, also young enough to turn his life around.
What you said only works for veterans with proven track record. Guys like OBJ and Aiyuk can take some time off from the field and come back later because they have proven record of success in the past and teams remember them. Burton doesn’t have that. He has to show up to any and every camp invite he gets and try to stick with one team or he will be forgotten. And being forgotten is death knell to a career of young and talented but unproven player like Burton. He has no choice but to try to straighten out his personal life while trying to salvage his career.
Disagree, he’s still only 24. With his talent, he could absolutely catch on with another team in a rookie minicamp capacity like this a year from now, and certainly with the UFL or CFL. Again, he’s very talented. When there’s rumors that Henry Ruggs (who is 2.5 years older and even longer out of the league) is still drawing interest, Burton should be fine taking some time away
As a Bengals fan, I can definitely attest to the fact that he’s had some issues. He has had two incidents where he was accused of assault, one at Alabama and another in 2024. The latter charges, which were dropped, included disturbing allegations that he choked his gf and then put a knife to his throat and threatened to kill himself before leaving. That was the last straw that caused Cincinnati to suspend him for the final game and then release him. Prior to that he was in the doghouse for repeatedly being late to meetings and was frequently spotted at a local casino.
He’s a talented WR and I’ve never heard anything about him being a cancer in the locker room, but the Bills will definitely have their work cut out for them trying to get him on the right path. I guess from their perspective it doesn’t hurt to try as they can always cut him if he doesn’t turn over a new leaf.
Hopefully this dumb*** has grown up over the past year. You’re getting a second chance that most people don’t, so take whatever medications have been prescribed and focus on the job at hand. He has talent, but not the brains to go with it.