After graduating from high school, Burgess attended the University of Mississippi, 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 by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2001 NFL Draft. He appeared in all 16 games as a rookie and had six sacks. In 2002, 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. He returned healthy in 2004 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 against the New England Patriots.
Oakland Raiders
Burgess was signed by the Oakland Raiders 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 sacks 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 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 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, 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 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 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 linemanLe Kevin Smith to the Denver Broncos along with a seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos 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, 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 on December 28. He was released on December 30.
