Bengals Legend Vontaze Burfict Returns to Football in New Role

 A pair of former Bengals are linking up at UNLV this coming season. Longtime linebacker Vontaze Burfict joined the Runnin' Rebels' staff as a defensive analyst. He is coaching under former Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who UNLV hired as its associate head coach in March.

Burfict played eight NFL seasons, including seven in Cincinnati for head coach Marvin Lewis. He was a solid player throughout that near-decade tenure, while having a hot-head streak that bit the team at times.

He was a part of Cincinnati's unraveling at the end of the 2015 season in a Wild-Card loss to Pittsburgh. Former Steelers great Joey Porter also got involved in the scuffle that contributed to the Bengals' collapse.

"I made the cardinal mistake. I tried to compliment a Bengal," Porter said on the Not Just Football Podcast. "I tell Burfict, I say, 'Man, I'm not even supposed to say this. I said, but I like your game.' He got some jankiness in him that I see in myself when he plays. He just got no control because his big homie is Pac-Man [Jones]. He's doomed by default. He returned that compliment, 'I don't give a F, how you feel about my game. F you and F Pittsburgh,' like, damn, all right, I look up. It's Bengal, Bengal, Bengal. Pac-Man comes running from way over. Don't even know what's going on. He pushed Burfict. Bumped me."

It led to one of multiple flags to help Pittsburgh get the 18-16 playoff win.

Burfict finished his NFL career after the 2019 campaign with 622 tackles, five interceptions, and 29 pass deflections from 2012-19.