Giants release Plaxico Burress
The Giants have officially decided to release wide receiver Plaxico Burress.
The New York Giants released Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress on Friday, a little more than four months after the talented but troubled wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a New York City nightclub.
Burress’ four-year tenure with the Giants was highlighted by a game-winning touchdown catch in the Super Bowl 14 months ago but it was also dogged by fines and suspensions.
Burress’ status has been uncertain since he shot himself on Nov. 29. He faces a felony weapons charge that could put him in prison for at least 3 1/2 years if convicted.
Some fans will be upset by this news because of what Burress did to help the Giants win the Super Bowl two years ago, but what was the team supposed to do? Sit idle why he goes through a possibly messy trial and then have to wait to see if he’ll be available to play? Why not douse the fire now before it gets out of control?
The only potential issue for the Giants (besides the fact that they now have one of the weakest receiver units in the league) is now they don’t have much leverage in trade talks. They apparently have already talked to the Browns about Braylon Edwards and if Cleveland was willing to make a deal on draft day, they’ll certainly ask for decent compensation knowing the Giants don’t have many options. The draft is pretty deep in receiver talent, but prospects like Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin and Darrius Heyward-Bey could be gone by the time New York selects in the first round (No. 29).
It’ll be interesting to see if any of the Edwards-to-Giants trade banter starts up again after Plax’s release.
It was a move the Giants had to make once his trial was postponed. His lawyers are working plea deals but Plax keeps rejecting them because the only deal the DA will settle for contains jail time. The NY mayor already laid down the gauntlet for the DA to not make a mockery of the legal system by letting a celebrity walk.
The Giants are going to have to make a deal for a veteran receiver if they’re going to be competitive next season unless one of their young players like Mario Manningham or Sinorice Moss can emerge as a to-go guy, which is unlikely to happen. They should either pony up some serious picks to get Anquan Boldin out of AZ or make the deal happen for Edwards, and even that may not be enough. What a freakin’ mess just 1 season removed from a championship.