Derrick Lee Burgess (born August 12, 1978) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
. He was selected by the Eagles in the third round of the
2001 NFL draft
The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...
where he spent four seasons before joining Oakland. During his four seasons with the Raiders, he twice received
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
honors and led the league in sacks in 2005. After one season with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, Burgess rejoined the Eagles for his final season in 2010.
Early life
Burgess attended
Eleanor Roosevelt High School in
Greenbelt, Maryland
Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,921.
Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental ...
, where he played football and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
. As a senior, Burgess recorded 102 tackles and four sacks and was an all-state selection at outside linebacker.
College career
After graduating from high school, Burgess attended the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...
, where he led his team as a senior in 2000 with 9.5 sacks. He was also named to the first-team
All-SEC that season.
Professional career
First stint with Eagles
Burgess was drafted in the third round (63rd overall) by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
in the
2001 NFL draft
The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...
. He appeared in all 16 games as a rookie and had six sacks. In
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, however, he broke his foot in the first game of the season and missed the rest of the year. He then missed all of 2003 due to a torn
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
.
He returned healthy in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and started 12 regular season games for the Eagles, recording 2.5 sacks. He had more success in the postseason, where he recorded three quarterback sacks, including the Eagles' only sack in
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League (NF ...
against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
.
Oakland Raiders
Burgess was signed by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
prior to the
2005 season, and was originally slated to be a backup. By the middle of the season, he worked his way into the lineup thanks to his success as a pass rusher; most notably, he had six
quarterback sack
In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackle (football move), tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the l ...
s over a three-game span. He became particularly successful at the end of the season and recorded nine over the final seven games of the year; the last sack would break
Sean Jones' team record for sacks in a single season. His 16 sacks overall led the NFL and earned him his first
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
bid. Burgess finished the
2006 season with 11 sacks and earned a second Pro Bowl bid. Even though Burgess dealt with a nagging calf injury all year, he finished
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
with eight sacks and 40 tackles.
On December 23, 2007, Burgess and teammate
Warren Sapp were involved in an altercation with NFL referees near the end of the second quarter of the Raiders' game at Jacksonville. The incident began when linesman Jerry Bergman mistakenly assumed that the Raiders wished to decline a Jacksonville ten-yard penalty. Sapp, the defensive captain, began speaking with referee
Jerome Boger, indicating that the Raiders instead wished to accept the penalty. The conversation became heated, with Sapp gesturing and swearing. This resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct call by Boger against Sapp. Sapp and his defensive teammates continued interacting with the officials after the penalty was called, resulting in a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Sapp and another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed against Burgess. Finally, the coaches and officiating staff entered the field and began physically separating and removing the arguing players. Boger claimed that during this time Sapp "bumped" him; Sapp denies making physical contact. Regardless, at this point Boger levied a third unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Sapp and ejected him from the game. Sapp did not play in the second half and was eventually fined $75,000 by the NFL; Burgess received a $25,000 fine.
Burgess played in and started 10 games for the Raiders in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, recording 3.5 sacks. Entering the final year of his contract, Burgess failed to report to the team's training camp in August 2009 and was placed on the "did not report" list. He was traded to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
on August 6.
New England Patriots
On August 6, 2009, the Patriots traded their original third- and fourth-round selections in the
2010 NFL draft
The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...
to the Raiders in exchange for Burgess. The trade was made on the condition that, because the Patriots had already traded their fifth-round selection, the fourth-round selection sent to Oakland would become a fifth-round selection once the Patriots re-acquired one. Later that month, the Patriots traded defensive lineman
Le Kevin Smith to the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
along with a seventh-round pick (acquired from the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
) to the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
in exchange for the Broncos' fifth-round pick, which was sent to Oakland for the Patriots' original fourth-round pick.
Burgess played in all 16 games for the Patriots in
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, starting six. He finished the season with 35 tackles and five sacks. He became an unrestricted free agent following the season and was re-signed by the Patriots on May 14, 2010. However, Burgess did not report to Patriots training camp, and was placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list on July 29, 2010. He was reinstated to the active roster on August 13, the day after the Patriots' first preseason game. He was released during final cuts on September 4, 2010.
Second stint with Eagles
Burgess was re-signed to a two-year contract by the Philadelphia Eagles on December 14, 2010.
He played in a week 16 game against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
on December 28. He was released on December 30.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
References
External links
Philadelphia Eagles bioNew England Patriots bioOakland Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Derrick
1978 births
Living people
People from Lake City, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina
Sportspeople from Greenbelt, Maryland
Players of American football from Prince George's County, Maryland
American football defensive ends
American football outside linebackers
Ole Miss Rebels football players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Oakland Raiders players
New England Patriots players
American Conference Pro Bowl players