According to a report from the Kansas City Star’s Herbie Teope, the Kansas City Chiefs are signing veteran fullback Michael Burton to a one-year contract.
#Chiefs are signing fullback Michael Burton to a one-year deal, according to a source.
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) April 1, 2021
Burton played for the Saints last season.
Burton, 29, will be entering the the seventh year of his NFL career. Drafted by the Detroit Lions out of Rutgers in the fifth round (168th overall) of the 2015 NFL draft, Burton spent two years in Detroit before joining the Chicago Bears for two more. He then spent a season with the Washington Football Team and another with the New Orleans Saints.
We shouldn't expect the 6-foot, 240 pound Burton to be an offensive powerhouse. He has accumulated just 29 yards rushing on 15 attempts during his career — along with 81 yards on 13 receptions — but we can expect him to be reliable. He's accumulated 14 first downs and a touchdown on those 28 career touches — and he’s played in at least 15 games in four of his six previous seasons.
With the Saints last year, he was on the field for 19% of the offensive snaps and 29% of the special teams snaps. In two different seasons, he's been above 40% in special teams snaps.
No salary terms are yet known, but it's likely that the Chiefs will be signing Burton to a veteran salary benefit contract. It would pay him $1.1 million this season, but count just $987,500 against the salary cap.