If you watch Luther Burden for just a few minutes on tape, you can see the star power. His talent is ridiculous. The guy has size, speed, and route-running skill you see from every wide receiver who has become great in the NFL. Normally, guys like that go in the 1st round. What happened? Some blamed his down year in 2024, managing only around 600 yards after going for over 1200 the previous year. However, rumblings soon surfaced that Burden had some personality issues.
He wasn’t a great practice player, half-assing it each week before giving full effort on gameday. Coaches refused to discipline him because they feared he might leave. Even his mother and girlfriend are said to be unhelpful influences.
I reached out to a source about the issues. It was confirmed that Burden had problems in college. When asked to elaborate, it was put forward in simple terms.
“He’s temperamental. But all receivers are.”
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They said Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson wasn’t intimidated by Burden’s baggage and is “really comfortable” with the young receiver. This isn’t a surprise. Johnson is no stranger to working with headstrong receivers. He did so in Detroit with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. The same was true of Jarvis Landry in Miami. It is all about understanding how to manage personalities.
Luther Burden isn’t the first temperamental receiver in NFL history.
Far from it. Look at the list of the greatest players ever at the position, and you’ll find a host of iffy personalities. Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Steve Smith Sr., Cris Carter, Brandon Marshall, and Jimmy Smith are just a few examples. Being uneven mentally doesn’t mean you can’t play great football. Luther Burden proved that in college. He was dominating defenses at times despite this supposed attitude problem. It all comes down to whether you have a head coach who is willing to manage the bad with the good. Previous Bears head coaches wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with it. Johnson is different. He recognizes what Burden can do for them on Sundays. If that means some headache moments during the week, so be it.
