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In March the Chicago Bears signed former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round CB Artie Burns to a one-year contract. It appears that when Burns left Pittsburgh for Chicago he simply abandoned his 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV—the “big boy toy” that he told ESPN he purchased not long after being drafted in the spring of 2016.
According to 93.7 The Fan, Burns left the Cadillac Escalade at Pittsburgh International Airport, and the vehicle is now up for online auction along with other abandoned vehicles. It’s part of the airport’s annual auction, one of nearly 20 vehicles that is available.
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum
Per Proxibid.com, the 4-door wagon has 41,593 miles on it and the current high bid is $26,000. The vehicle—which appears to have more than a few significant scratches to the black paint—can be previewed on Tuesday September 22.
Pre-bids will be accepted until 6 p.m. on September 24 when the online auction begins.
The car is being housed at a hangar on Hangar Road in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The successful bidder is expected to pick up the vehicle on Friday October 2.
Artie Burns’ Career with the Steelers
Artie Burns was Pittsburgh’s first-round draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, selected 25th overall out of the University of Miami, which earned him a $9.6 million contract with a $5.2 million signing bonus.
He flashed the ability to be a No. 1 cornerback during his first two seasons in the league, but tailed off badly after that, so his career in Pittsburgh ended after just four years, after the Steelers decided not to pick up his fifth-year option.
During Burns’ rookie year he appeared in all 16 games and started nine, collecting three interceptions and adding 13 passes defensed along with 65 tackles and two tackles for loss. He also produced in year two, when he started all 16 games, recording 54 tackles, adding one QB hit, one interception, 13 passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.
But he started only seven games over the course of the last two years, appearing to lose his confidence as he began giving up big plays with alarming frequency.
According to Pro Football Focus, Burns gave up 13 touchdown passes in 1,357 coverage snaps during his first three years in the league, which made it an easy decision to decline the fifth-year option on his contract and ultimately move on from him this past offseason. He played only 308 defensive snaps in 2018 and just 66 last year. This as compared to 810 his rookie year and a career high of 974 snaps in 2017.
Burns won’t have a chance to resurrect his career with the Bears this season, not after tearing the ACL in his left knee on the second day of Bears training camp during a 7-on-7 drill. He is now on the team’s injured reserve list along with three other injured players. He will be a free agent in 2021 and a team may be willing to take a chance on him next year at NFL minimum wage, assuming he’s able to recovery from the knee injury.
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