Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg almost two years ago (the exact anniversary was two days ago). Normally that wouldn't be a problem; stuff happens. Burress did not have a permit to be carrying around that go though, and so it became a problem. He turned himself in and accepted a deal that put him away for two years with an additional two years supervision. He is set to be release next June, and his agent has already said he will be able to make training camp for whatever team eventually picks him up. Burress is a wide receiver who started for the Steelers and Giants before the incident happened. What's not known is where Burress will go or how well he will do once he returns.
Plenty of NFL teams could use a 6 foot 5 receiver with 9 years experience. Off the top of my head, the Rams, Seahawks, Redskins, Bucs, 49ers, Bears, and Panthers could all use a tall, veteran receiver, and I'm sure you could make a case for more teams as well. Questions about his age will come into play though and his character. The gun incident isn't the only thing he's done as he has quite the laundry list of legal troubles. At the same time, if Michael Vick was given a shot, then Burress should easily get his. He just has to prove he has something left in the tank to give, which goes back to age. Burress will be 34 next August and that is pretty old for a NFL receiver. Terrell Owens is older than that and having a career year in Cincinnati though.
Age is not the only factor of performance though. The team, coach, money, motivation, etc. are all other reasons that effect performance. Chances are Burress will not be the focal point of whatever team signs him, but he could serve as a number 2 in an offense that already has a clear number 1. In this situation he would reap the benefits of lax coverage because defenses are focusing on the number 1 receiver. Going into a run or pass offense is virtually a crap shoot depending on who picks him up; obviously he would rather go into a pass offense to get more targets. A team will probably only sign him for 1 year at the veteran's minimum, which would be 745,000 for Burress not counting a signing bonus. Michael Vick did make 1.6 million his first year returning to the NFL from prison though, but he returned to the NFL at age 30 as a quarterback, a position that can be played much longer than receiver. Money and years will depend on how he does trying out for each team. I would think Burress would be motivated enough to play well if he got the chance due to the fact that he will probably want to prove he is still one of the better receivers in the league.
In my opinion, Burress will have a good year next year if he gets a chance. Michael Vick has shined since getting his chance in the spotlight, and he was away from football longer than Burress will be when he returns. I think coaches should look at Vick's success and immediately assume Burress will have that type of success. Burress, like Vick, does not want to have the negative image that he is viewed now. He will want to get back to the way things were, being a good football player. If he shows that he is ready to play, his coach should start him right away. There really is nothing to lose by starting Burress because he is so tall that he will be able to catch balls even if he is slower or doesn't run routes as well. There isn't a starting cornerback in the NFL that is 6 foot 5, and so Burress will always have the size advantage. To me, if Burress shows he still has some speed and decent hands then I think he should start next season for a team. Will he be the next comeback story? Only time will tell.
References
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/22147/plaxico-burress-eyes-2011-return
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=2139
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaxico_Burress#Legal_troubles
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