Who Is Nate Burleson and Why Is He Calling the NFL’s Nickelodeon Wild-Card Broadcast?
A new generation of football fans is about to meet Nate Burleson.
Burleson, the former Minnesota Vikings receiver who is now in sports media, will have a new role during the NFL’s wild-card round. Those who watch the NFL’s inaugural Nickelodeon wild-card simulcast on Sunday, Jan. 10, will hear Burleson on the call.
Here is everything you need to know about Burleson, from his time catching touchdowns to his new opportunity discussing slime and scores.
Nate Burleson had a lengthy NFL playing career
A third-round pick in 2003, Nate Burleson had a solid 11-year stint in the NFL.
Burleson caught 457 passes for 5,630 yards and 39 touchdowns in 135 games and 103 starts with three teams. The Minnesota Vikings drafted Burleson in 2003 in an attempt to team him up with Randy Moss, but the duo only lasted two years.
Burleson’s lone 1,000-yard season came in 2004, when he also recorded 68 receptions and nine touchdowns for the Vikings.
Burleson also played for the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. After failing to make the Cleveland Browns in 2014, Burleson retired and began working in sports media.
Burleson now holds several broadcast jobs
Football fans have no shortage of Nate Burleson on their televisions — or streaming device — during the NFL season.
For most of the week, Burleson works on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football as an analyst. Burleson does interviews and participates in creative segments.
Come Sunday, Burleson takes his talents to CBS and The NFL Today. Burleson joined the show in 2017 and has become a rising star in sports media since then.
Nate Burleson is on the NFL’s Nickelodeon wild-card broadcast
When the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints square off in the wild-card round, fans will have two ways to watch the game.
CBS will air a standard broadcast featuring its ‘A’ crew of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson.
Romo missed Week 17 because of COVID-19 protocols, and it is not yet known if he will work that game. In a situation where Romo cannot go, CBS would likely use Boomer Esiason again.
Those who don’t want to watch Nantz and the ‘A’ crew can watch Nate Burleson and others on the Nickelodeon simulcast. The NFL is producing an alternate wild-card broadcast aimed at younger fans.
Noah Eagle, the son of NFL and NBA announcer Ian Eagle, will do play-by-play. Noah is the Los Angeles Clippers’ radio voice.
Burleson and Nick star Gabrielle Nevaeh Green are on the mic for color commentary that day. Lex Lumpkin, another actor on Nickelodeon, is the sideline reporter.
Green and Lumpkin, who are both teenagers, could be the youngest announcers for an NFL game in modern history.
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