During the winter months, the Seattle Seahawks saw one starting receiver walk out the door, only to have another walk in. The departure of veteran stalwart Joe Jurevicius led to the signing of free-agent wideout Nate Burleson. After a stellar last season from Jurevicius, it's evident that Burleson will Houston Texans jersey
have difficulty matching the production of the now ex-Seahawk.Last year was Jurevicius' only season in the Pacific Northwest, and he made it worthwhile. He ended up with 55 receptions and 10 touchdowns in helping the Seahawks reach their first Super Bowl. The 31-year-old brought leadership and experience to the Seahawks' receiving corps, which was sorely lacking in previous years. The team's No. 1 receiver, Darrell Jackson, is a terrific player, but he didn't have the same type of battle-hardened experience as Jurevicius, who spent his first seven seasons with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Jurevicius became a free agent at the close of the 2005-2006 season, and he opted to return to his hometown of Cleveland. He signed a four-year, $10 million deal to play for the Browns, who are among the NFL's up-and-coming organizations.With Jurevicius out of the picture, the Seahawks agreed to terms with Burleson, a restricted free-agent. The team signed the 24-year-old to a bizarrely high seven-year, $49 million contract in March. Although the deal he signed is incredibly vast in years and money, the odds of Burleson seeing that entire contract through are slim and nil. Because of various complicated stipulations in the agreement, Burleson won't make anything close to $49 million. Instead, he'll end up raking in roughly $5.25 million-still a nice chunk of change.Burleson, a former Minnesota Viking, was expected to have a breakout '05 campaign, but ended up disappointing. It wasn't all his fault, though, as he Indianapolis Colts jersey
spent much of the year battling injuries and shaky quarterback play from Daunte Culpepper and Brad Johnson. As a result, Burleson finished with 30 receptions in 12 games.After a so-so rookie year in '03, Burleson, a former third-round pick from the University of Nevada, became one of the most promising young targets in the league in '04. In the Vikings' 8-8 season, Burleson started in 15 games and caught 68 passes, while tallying an impressive 1,006 receiving yards. He also hauled in nine touchdown catches. Unfortunately, that's been the only terrific season Burleson's experienced, and many attribute it to starting opposite elite wideout Randy Moss. Even though Moss spent much of the regular season banged up, he still took the pressure off Burleson on numerous occasions, catching 49 passes and a team-best 13 touchdowns.Luckily for the Seahawks, it seems their investment on the 6-0, 192-pound Burleson is paying off thus far. In the team's recent minicamps, the receiver has formed a nice bond with Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The only problem the Seahawks' offense has faced in past seasons is the receivers' dropping passes. It's frustrated Hasselbeck numerous times, but occurrences clearly decreased last year. If Burleson can find ways to contribute and avoid mistakes, he'll continue to form a great bond with Hasselbeck, while emerging as an elite No. 2 receiver. For the Seahawks, if they wish to win the NFC West again and, perhaps, make it to a second straight Super Bowl, Burleson will have to be a key Jacksonville Jaguars jersey
contributor for the offense. Hasselbeck, running back Shaun Alexander and Darrell Jackson can't do it by themselves. Burleson has to be a steady force who keeps pressure off the big three. Without question, that's what the Seattle Seahawks are hoping for.
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