New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress reported to the team’s minicamp this past week but refused to workout. Burress is looking to renegotiate his current contract with the present Super Bowl Champs. It was Burress who caught the 2007 Super Bowl winning pass from Eli Manning with just 35 seconds left in the contest.
The wide receiver has been in the NFL for eight years. He played his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the last three with the Giants. Over that time, Burress has appeared in 118 regular season games, catching 470 passes for 7,391 yards. He’s scored 51 touchdowns, while averaging 15.7 yards per catch. In eight seasons, he’s made nine fumbles, losing four.
Burress is a top NFL receiver who has shown exceptional leaping ability, lightning speed off the line and great hands. He’s a superior athlete and a top competitor. Compared to other receivers of his ilk, Burress is underpaid. Earlier this year, the NFL owners decided to negate the collective bargaining agreement with the Players Union. That has loosened the salary cap and opened the door for renegotiation of player contracts. Burress, who is 30, is looking to take advantage of the opportunity.
By NFL standards, Burress is underpaid. Over the next three years, he’s scheduled to earn a total of $10.5 million. But at least three other high profile NFL receivers are earning between around $9 million in one season. That’s three times more than Burress is getting.
Burress, who notes that he is trying to handle the situation properly, said that talks with the Giants started approximately a month ago. Expect to see this situation again and again over the next few seasons as star NFL players attempt to exploit the relaxed pocket strings of NFL owners. Burress’ actions are a sign of the times.
