Back when he was a player-analyst for Detroit’s WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), Nate Burleson seemed destined for bigger broadcasing roles.
Now, the former Detroit Lions wide receiver is joining Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil as one of the anchors of “CBS This Morning.”
Burleson will replace current co-host Anthony Mason. He’ll officially start next month.
Burleson talked about the move this morning on the NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
“I’ve been grinding since I left the game in 2014,” he said. “I’ve taken every opportunity as a blessing … It turned out that, over the course of my short career on TV, that these doors have opened up year after year. And this is a door that I feel I’m ready to walk through.”
Starting in 2003, Burleson spent 11 years in the NFL, including with the Detroit Lions from 2010-13. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.
Four years ago, Burleson joined “The NFL Today” on-air team. He will keep his role there on Sundays during football season as an analyst and also remain a contributor to the NFL Network.
More: Nate Burleson, once a Lion, now a ‘rising star’ on TV
In 2017, the Free Press described how after signing with the Lions as a free agent in 2010, Burleson became “a go-to quote in the locker room for his colorful and well-reasoned opinions.”
At that time, after being named an “NFL Today” analyst spending a year co-hosting “Good Morning Football” for the NFL Network, that “I’ve always had the train of thought that you decide on how bright your star shines.”
Burleson also said he saw his name becoming bigger as a TV personality than it was on the football field.
In his new job, Burleson will be competing against NBC’s “Today” show and ABC’s “Good Morning America,” which also has a pro football veteran as a co-host: NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.
Burleson’s TV work includes his current stint as a New York correspondent for the syndicated entertainment news show “Extra,” which he will be departing, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.