During the offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Duke Tobin said wide receiver Jermaine Burton had “done nothing” during his rookie season to deserve a spot on the NFL team.

But it wasn’t until Monday that the former Alabama pass-catcher no longer had one. The Bengals announced on Monday that Burton had been waived.

Burton has not played for Cincinnati this season, and he didn’t make the trip for the Bengals’ 39-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Shortly before that game kicked off, Cincinnati announced Burton had been suspended for that contest.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor spoke about Burton’s departure at his Monday press conference.

“Just the decision to make,” Taylor said. “We just made it. We’re going to release him and move on and wish him the best.”

When asked why Burton was suspended for Sunday’s game, Taylor said: “I won’t get into that.”

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Burton joined the Bengals as a third-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Burton had four receptions for 107 yards and returned 13 kickoffs for a 29.1-yard average. He was on the field for 131 offensive snaps and 37 special-teams plays in 14 games.

“I think everybody worked really hard at it,” Taylor said, “and wish him the best. Hopefully, he gets a change of scenery that can do good things for him.”

Burton also was left home when the Bengals traveled to Pittsburgh for the finale to their 2024 season, which was marked by off-the-field problems for the wide receiver.

That led to some pointed remarks from Tobin, Cincinnati’s director of player personnel and de facto general manager, while attending Senior Bowl practices in Mobile.

“He’s done nothing, and he’s going to have to start doing something quickly,” Tobin said. “We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he’s had in the past, and we’re going to continue to try to help him. But this is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches and the team that you’re playing for, and he has to figure that out. He’s got to figure that out fast.

“He’s a very talented player, and we knew that there were risks in taking him. We knew there were rewards in taking him. We know what both of those are. We’re hoping for the rewards. We’re giving him the resources he needs to get to those rewards. But at the end of the day, you can’t want it more for somebody than they want it for themselves. And we’re hoping that Jermaine figures that out.”

Burton played two seasons at Georgia before playing two seasons with the Crimson Tide. At Alabama, Burton had 79 receptions for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Working as an analyst during ABC’s draft coverage in 2024, Burton’s coach at Alabama, Nick Saban, said the wide receiver would need more “emotional maturity” in the pros after Cincinnati selected him with the 80th pick.

“The No. 1 thing that he needs to do — and I think emotional maturity is the best way to say it — is do the right things all the time,” Saban said. “He does the right things on the field. He knows the importance of what he has to do in the field. He wants to be a player. That’s all he thinks about.

“But you’ve got to do the right things in your life all the time so that you can do the best things that you can do on the field and be the best you can be.”

Because Burton was suspended for Sunday’s game, he will not be paid for that week, which cost him about $58,866.

After being drafted, Burton signed a four-year, $5.821 million contract, but only the signing bonus of $1.053 million was guaranteed. Burton has been paid around $2.555 million. He had about $3.266 million left on his contract that he won’t have an opportunity to get, unless he gets claimed on waivers. In that case, Burton’s contract will remain in effect with his new team.