James Paul Burgess Jr. (born March 9, 1994) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals.
His father, James Burgess, also played in the NFL.
Burgess signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Dolphins as part of final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 13, 2016.
On November 1, 2016, Burgess was signed to the San Diego Chargers' practice squad. He was released on November 14, 2016.
On November 23, 2016, Burgess was signed to the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. He was released on November 29, 2016.
On December 7, 2016, Burgess was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad. He was released on December 16, 2016.
On December 20, 2016, Burgess was signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Browns on January 2, 2017.
In 2018, Burgess suffered a sprained knee and missed the next two games before returning in Week 6. He suffered a hamstring injury in that game and was waived/injured on October 16, 2018. After clearing waivers, Burgess was placed on injured reserve on October 17, 2018, and was released three days later.
On December 4, 2018, Burgess was signed to the Dolphins practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Dolphins on January 1, 2019. He was waived on May 23, 2019.
On May 28, 2019, the New York Jets claimed Burgess off of waivers. He was waived on August 31, 2019, and was later re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 26, 2019.
On April 2, 2020, Burgess re-signed with the Jets. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on August 5, 2020. He was activated from the list on August 13. On September 5, 2020, Burgess was waived by the Jets.
On October 13, 2020, Burgess was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.
On October 24, 2020, Burgess was signed off the Falcons' practice squad to the Green Bay Packers' active roster. He was placed on injured reserve on November 25, 2020. He was designated to return from injured reserve on January 20, 2021, and began practicing with the team again, but was not activated before the end of the postseason.
On June 2, 2021, Burgess signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Burgess was waived on August 16, 2021.