Right now news in the NFL is pretty scarce with the lockout still in effect. However today former New York Giant pro bowl wide receiver Plaxico Burress is again a free man. Burress served twenty one months of a twenty four month sentence and received and early release due to good behavior.
After his release he did what anyone would do after being away for nearly two years. He met with his family, most notably his two young children, and embraced the feeling of being a part of the free world again. However this is where it will get tricky for Mr. Burress. With the NFL still being in the lockout, and Plaxico being a free agent, he can not have contact with any teams at this point. Now this is not to say there will not be interest, however there will also be questions. Plaxico Burress is now 34 years old, and one has to wonder what kinda of market will there be for a 34 year old wide receiver in the NFL who spent two years away from the game. Now I know a lot of people will argue Mike Vick, but the reality is Vick was not even 30 at the time of his release. All reports indicate that Burress kept in as good a shape as one possibly could in the element he was in the last two year, but will that be good enough shape to be an elite NFL receiver again? Do not get me wrong there will always be a market for a six foot five wide receiver who can go up and snag the ball out of the air, my only question is what is he worth? What can a team expect to spend on him, and more importantly what kind of pay day will he be expecting knowing this could very well be his last NFL contract at his age? The financial matter should work itself out and Plax should land a job this year, but here are my likely destinations.
Cincinnati- Do you really even have to ask why? Well in case you do I will explain. With the team seemingly now ready to part ways with Ochocinco, and drafting A.J Green with their number one pick, Burress could be a likely candidate to take some pressure off of Green and the young receiving corps the Bengals have. Not to mention this is the type of player that has been brought into Cincy recently, players with troubled pasts that they hope to hit home runs off of.
St. Louis- The Rams seem to have their QB of the future in Sam Bradford, but they do not have one standout WR to pair him with. Burress could be that stop gap for the Rams while they groom their young receivers. Add that with a former Giants assistant is now the Rams Head Coach who has worked with Burress before, and the Rams playing in doors on turf and in a weak division this could be the best fit.
Philadelphia- For all the people who think you can get Vick 2.0 but at wide out it just isn't worth the risk. with Desean Jackson and the rest of the young good receivers in Philly there just isn't room for Plax here.
St. Louis and Philadelphia being the most talked about and Cincinnati being thrown in there because of their past these are a few of my assessments. My honest opinion is Burress signs with the Rams, or a team like Jacksonville, or Tampa Bay who can contend and is in "need" of a good play making WR to get them over the top, because that is where his best chance at getting paid will also be. I can guarantee this, there will not be as much question about Plaxico, as there was Mike Vick when he was released about if and where he will play, because as many coaches will tell you, when you are a receiver, and you are six foot five, you are always open, and that is a luxury people would love to have.
Richard Rodawalt
AB3 Sports
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