At the beginning of Saturday morning, former New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was considered a long shot to sign with the New York Jets, with the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers rumored to be the favorites.
That all changed in a matter of hours.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette tweeted today that the Jets are expected to make a "big pitch" for the 33-year-old, who hasn't played since November 2008, when he shot himself in the leg outside a New York City nightclub.
On top of that, Bouchette wrote that Giants sources have told him Burress is "unlikely" to sign with his former club.
Burress used to be one of the NFL's best receivers, part of a duo with Giants quarterback Eli Manning that became one of the greatest in league history.
But since then, he's been serving a prison term, and it's unclear how quickly he'll be able to transition back to the NFL. He certainly has talent, and by all accounts he's kept himself in shape while in prison, but he's been out of the league for a long time.
With the Jets, however, he makes a lot of sense.
He'll be their No. 2 option opposite Santonio Holmes, who was just re-signed by the team. In short, he won't be asked to be the main option in the receiving corps, which alleviates the pressure of coming back to the NFL and also asks less of him.
Most pundits will say Burress is a great fit as a No. 2 based on his talent. It's just a matter of if he can stay clean off the field, which has obviously been a problem for him in the past.
The Jets weren't able to sign top cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, but with the signing of Burress they get a comparable one-two punch to Holmes and Braylon Edwards. Edwards is expected to be leaving the Jets with the signing of Holmes.
This proves why the Jets are one of the best organizations in the NFL. Despite their clear focus on defense throughout the years, they still understand they need to give quarterback Mark Sanchez some options.
Not only did they re-sign his favorite receiver (sorry Braylon), the are gunning for a legitimate No. 2 option in Burress who could be a steal if he transitions quickly back to the league.
The Jets certainly know what they're doing.
No comments:
Post a Comment