An Update on Current Free Agent Plaxico Burress

The court case involving Plaxico Burress was adjourned on Monday which may allow him to play the entire 2009 season, yet there hasn’t been a whirlwind of interest regarding signing the former superstar wide receiver. While there isn’t as much interest as Burress and his agent had hoped for, there are still three teams that are quietly pursuing the receiver and looking to drastically improve their receiving corps.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the first team to show interest earlier this year and the Chicago Bears and New York Jets have also been in contact with Burress. After grasping the winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, Burress looked to be heading for superstardom but has not been able to get back to that plateau and it all came crashing down when he shot himself in the league with his own gun in a nightclub. While his court date was scheduled for this week, it was pushed back until September which may mean that a trial date is not set until the summer of 2010, which would allow the receiver to play the entire season.

His agent Drew Rosenhaus is very confident that he will be able to find a suitable team in the next coming weeks. General managers around the league also feel that there will be interest, even though many of them are not interested themselves. While some teams seem to be set at the position, one injury or one off the field problem could change everything. It is believed that once one team makes a contract offer or really throws their hat into the ring, the offers could come swarming in.

Teams like the Miami Dolphins. Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams are all quietly waiting in the wings and could become very interested in Burress once he is cleared to play. The Ravens could really use a deep threat to compliment young QB Joe Flacco and the Dolphins could desperately use a red zone threat. And then there are the Vikings, who are looking to possibly add hall-of-famer Brett Favre and would love to give him a top of the line receiver to bomb the ball to.

The problem for Burress isn’t just relating to his legal issues at the moment, but also his history of problems with teams, suspensions and tendency to draw fines. On top of this, the NFL reserves the right to suspend Burress, if they deem it necessary, even if he reaches a plea deal with his court proceedings. While a suspension is not anticipated, these options are keeping teams at bay, for the moment. One turn in the opposite direction though, or Burress being completely cleared to play is sure to bring a plethora of interest from many teams looking to make that extra push to the playoffs, or even the Super Bowl.

You will definitely want to keep your eye on the Burress situation. If he is cleared to play and signs with a contending team, he could once again become a superstar and help a team really make a run deep into the playoffs. No matter where he signs or what trouble he causes, he is a difference maker that many teams would love to have.