Plaxico Burress Moves From Giants to Jets
After serving close to three years in prison on gun charges, Plaxico Burress has been given another opportunity to play football. A former wide receiver for the New York Giants, Burress has signed a one-year contract with another team in the same city--the New York Jets.
Burress, 34, has agreed to a $3.017 million deal, according to ESPN reports. In a press conference on Sunday night, the WR expressed his gratitude to the Jets for another chance to play in the NFL.
“I’m just grateful,” Burress said. “I’m excited about the opportunity and I’m going to give them everything I’ve got because they put their trust in me to be able to come in and contribute and have an impact.”
The announcement of Burress joining the Jets also comes with the dismissal of wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who has been a dominant force for the Jets over the past two seasons.
The New York Times reported that although Edwards is younger and in better shape than Burress, the Jets did not want to offer him such a large amount of money to stay with the team.
According to ESPN, the Jets have been courting Burress for years. In 2009, Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tanenbaum visited Burress, who was facing a jail sentence stemming from the illegal possession of a gun.
After serving his two-year prison sentence, Burress spoke about his increased love for the game on Sunday night.
“When something’s taken away from you that you love, you know you love it more,” Burress said. “You learn that playing in this business is definitely a privilege. I definitely miss being away from the game and the guys and being able to compete every Sunday with the best athletes in the world.”
The wide receiver, who previously won a championship with the New York Giants in 2008, has already taken on his twitter to predict the two teams that will compete in the 2012 Super Bowl game.
"Do you want my insight?" Plaxico tweeted on Sunday. "This is what I think, Eagles vs Jets.”