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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — Jermaine Burton’s tumultuous time with the Cincinnati Bengals is officially over.
The team officially waived the 2024 third-round pick on Monday following the latest dust-up between the wide receiver and the club. Burton did not make the trip to Buffalo for the team’s 39-34 loss to the Bills.
Hours before the game, the team announced that Burton was going to be suspended for the contest, which penalizes him by missing a game check. When asked about that suspension on Monday afternoon, Bengals coach Zac Taylor announced that Burton will no longer be with the team.
«I think everybody worked really hard at it and wish him the best,» Taylor said. «Hopefully he gets a change of scenery and it can do good things for him.»
It’s a move that gives both sides a much-needed fresh start in a relationship that was mired from the beginning. When the Bengals made the pick in 2024, there were questions about Burton’s character. He started his college career at Georgia before finishing at Alabama. In 2022, he struck a female student who was storming the field following a victory over Tennessee.
According to the Tuscaloosa News, Burton later acknowledged it was a mistake and one that he wouldn’t let «frame him as a person.» He also answered questions about that incident and any off-field concerns after the Bengals drafted him with 80th overall pick.
Las Vegas Raiders for missing a walkthrough the day before the game. He did not make the trip with the team for its regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It was later revealed that Burton was named in a police report for two different alleged domestic violence incidents in Dec. 2024. No charges were filed.
In the ensuing offseason, de facto general manager Duke Tobin said the team wasn’t giving up on him in hopes that Burton could play up to his potential. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was among those who said the receiver had seemed to change his approach heading into his second season.
«[He] has taken it very seriously,» Burrow said on May 20. «Has matured, it seems like. That’s exciting to see. Based on the conversations that we have had, he’s in a good spot mentally and physically. And he’s been working hard, which is exciting to see.»
But old issues popped up. He was late for a team practice in Week 4 and remained a healthy scratch for most of the season. Recently, Burton was listed with maladies that prevented him from being available. An illness prevented him from traveling for the team’s Week 11 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ahead of the team’s next road game, a Thanksgiving Day contest against the Baltimore Ravens for Week 13, Burton said he suffered an ankle injury that prevented him from traveling. However, Burton had continued to hold out hope that he could find a way to contribute to the team.
Burton will finish his Bengals tenure with 14 appearances, which all occurred during his rookie year. On Monday, Taylor indicated a clean break was the best option for all parties involved.
«We made the decision we made today,» Taylor said. «I’m pulling for him to go make an opportunity for himself somewhere else.»
