Now that Plaxico Burress has been released from prison the rumor mill has the star receiver playing anywhere from Cleveland, to Philadelphia, to landing with the New York Jets. While an argument can be made to bring Buress to the Jets, realistically it is not going to happen. Here are the reasons why:
1) Not the top priority- Once a new collective bargaining agreement is put into place, the New York Jets will have to start negotiating with their own wide receivers (Holmes, Edwards, Brad Smith) before they can begin looking into Burress. During this time Plaxico will be fielding offers from other teams, leaving a good chance that he will be signed before the Jets even bring him in for a visit.
2) Final Four rules- There is a strong possibility that the New York Jets will once again be limited by the “Final Four Rules” due to their appearance in the AFC Championship game this year. These rules basically limit the team from signing free agents, until one of their own has signed somewhere else. If the Jets are indeed handcuffed by these rules, the team may look to upgrade other positions (safety, cornerback, outside linebacker) with their limited selections.
3) May not be best option available- The uncertainty surrounding the new collective bargaining agreement has left many teams in the hold position in terms of releasing/trading players. There is a good chance that several other wide receivers will be made available to the Jets once free agency begins. Players like Chad Ochocinco, Roy Williams, and Carolina’s Steve Smith have already been rumored to be on the market. My guess is that there will be some other surprising names added to the list as well. (A good example is how the Jets stole Santonio Holmes last year.) In the end I believe there will be better options made available to the Jets if the team cannot re-sign both Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards.
As mentioned earlier you can make a case for the Jets to sign Plaxico Burress. The former star receiver would be a huge target for Mark Sanchez and would come with a reasonable price tag. But for the reasons listed above I just do not see it happening.
The fact of the matter is that I believe that the Jets will be able to re-sign both Edwards and Holmes. The team recognizes the need to keep things consistent for quarterback Mark Sanchez, and retaining both of these star receivers will be a priority for the franchise.