Lynnfield native Jake Burt has a new home for the 2021 season, and it won’t be in the United States. On Tuesday night, Burt — a former star tight end at St. John’s Prep and Boston College — was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the Canadian Football League Draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“It’s just an amazing feeling, there are so many emotions going through me right now,” said Burt, who watched the draft from home with his family. “Ever since I made myself eligible for the CFL Draft, things have been a whirlwind. I guess you never know where football is going to take you, and I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity.”
“This is a monumental moment for Jake and his family, and I couldn’t be any more excited for all of them,” said Burt’s agent Sean Stellato. “It’s a huge day for Jake, but he also knows that his work is just beginning. We’re all excited to see what lies ahead for him.”
Hamilton won the right to select first overall after the league held a random draw to determine the draft order due to the cancellation of the 2020 season.
Burt appeared in 36 career games at Boston College, registering 307 yards and two touchdowns on 23 receptions. After not being selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burt signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots — spending the entire season on the practice roster before becoming a free agent this offseason.
But his time with the Patriots was a huge boost for his development as a player and a professional, and Burt is happy for every minute he got to spend in Foxborough.
“I’ll never forget my time in New England,” said Burt. “Working with Coach Belichick and Coach McDaniels and gaining that football IQ is something I’ll take with me for the rest of my career. I honestly feel like I played my best football to date with the Patriots, and I’m excited to take the lessons I learned there and bring them with me.”
“Jake got to play for the greatest coach in the history of sports, and being in that organization will always have an impact on him,” said Stellato. “To learn from some of the best within the Patriots organization and then be able to take it with him to a new destination, that’s going to be huge. Jake has always been a worker and a grinder, and all of his work in New England is only going to benefit him going forward.”
Moving to the CFL also has great significance for Burt and his family, as both of his parents hail from Canada and he was born in Regina, Saskatchewan before moving to Lynnfield at age three.
“It means so much to me and my family, and it’s going to be a really cool experience to travel the country I was born in and get to experience it now,” said Burt. “My extended family up in Canada always had trouble finding streams of my games at BC or trying to find out how I was doing in New England, so now to be able to travel to the cities that they live in and play in front of them is a really special thing.”
Stellato knows that the move to the CFL is a huge opportunity for Burt, in more ways than one.
“We all know of a lot of players who went up to Canada to get their careers jumpstarted, guys like Doug Flutie and Warren Moon and so many others,” said Stellato. “Jake has an opportunity now to go back to where he was born, build a brand in a different country and hopefully continue on his path to making an impact in the NFL one day.”
But now, it’s time to turn the page and get ready for a new league.
“I know that even though I went No. 1 overall, nothing is going to be given to me,” said Burt. “I’ve been preparing for this the whole time and I know I’m going to have to go in and put in the work. I can’t wait to show what I can do.”
