Plaxico Burress: 5 Teams That Can't Afford to Take Chance on Ex-Con

Plaxico Burress is due to be released from prison on June 6. Whenever the lockout is lifted, the former New York Giants great will be free to sign with any team he pleases, thus restarting an NFL career that was derailed when he accidentally shot himself in the leg in late November of 2008.

If you believe all the talk, there will be plenty of suitors for Burress as soon as free agency is permitted. Veteran wide receivers like Burress don't exactly grow on trees, and he could probably be had for pretty cheap seeing as how he's spent nearly two years in prison.

However, for all the teams that will be interested in Burress, there are some that should keep a wide berth. After all, he brings plenty of baggage to the table, even if he has been rehabilitated. Also, he's going to turn 34 in August, and not all teams would benefit from having an older wide receiver.

With that in mind, here are five teams that are better off not getting involved with Burress.

5. Washington Redskins

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LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 24: Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Giants tries to run the ball past Ryan Clark #25 of the Washington Redskins on December 24, 2005 at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Giants 35-20. (Photo by Jim M

There are some, including Bleacher Report's very own Adam Lazarus, who think that Burress would fit in quite nicely with the Washington Redskins. The idea is that he would be the veteran presence in a receiving corps that could feature as many as three rookies, and that he would also be a reliable option to whoever the Redskins settle on as their quarterback.

This is hardly the worst idea, but I'm of the mind that it's not the best idea either.

As I see it, Burress would essentially be replacing Santana Moss as the elder statesman of Washington's crop of receivers. The idea of him being a mentor to the younger guys sounds good in theory, but you have to wonder if Burress is really the best guy for the job. Who knows if the rookies are willing to look up to an ex-con?

Instead, what's wrong with just giving Leonard Hankerson and the rest of the young guys the run of the place? After all, it was obvious last season that the Redskins are in need of a youth movement, so they may as well go all-out in that regard.

4. Tennessee Titans

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GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 03: Wide receiver Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Giants catches a 13-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 at the University of Phoenix Stadium i

If there is one team that essentially needs to use the 2011 season to start over from scratch, it's the Tennessee Titans. And as they are currently situated, they're in a very good position to do so.

For starters, they have a new head coach in Mike Munchak. Secondly, Vince Young is going to be on his way out of town soon enough. And lastly, they now have Jake Locker to develop.

To help Locker's development, you can make the argument that the Titans need to bring in to bolster what is a relatively thin corps of receivers.

Maybe so, but not Burress. Bringing him in would be a little too similar to bringing in Randy Moss, and we all know how that little experiment panned out. No point in repeating it.

Instead, the Titans would be better off trying to lure either Santonio Holmes or Braylon Edwards. Seeing as how everyone seems to want Burress to sign with the Jets, that would actually work out for everyone.

3. Chicago Bears

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PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 09: Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Giants looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 9, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Jay Cutler has some pretty decent options at his disposal in the form of Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, and Devin Hester but the problem is that all three of them are on the smaller side.

Thus, bringing in a 6'5" wide receiver like Burress could be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Chicago Bears. He could be just the kind of big possession receiver Mike Martz's offense needs in order to free up the other wideouts for big plays down the field.

However, the two major concerns about Burress—his baggage and his age—are two things that the Bears really don't need right now. If the Bears were to sign Burress only to watch him become a problem, the two people that would be guilty by association are Cutler and Smith.

This would be a disaster. Cutler is scrutinized enough as it is, and let's not forget that some people wanted Smith fired not too long ago. The Bears are better off not risking it.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 30: Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Giants celebrates after his second quarter touchdown catch against the Philadelphia Eagles at Giants Stadium on September 30, 2007 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Nick Lah

A report from the Sporting News on Monday listed the Philadelphia Eagles as one of several teams that "may get into the mix" for Burress' services.

There are two problems with this idea. The first is that the Eagles really don't need Burress. Jeremy Maclin is one of the more underrated receivers in the NFL, and we all know what DeSean Jackson is capable of. Bringing Burress in would only complicate things.

As far as the other problem goes, the Eagles already have Michael Vick. Do they really want to have two of the most notable ex-cons in the sports world on their roster?

Sure, it could work out on the gridiron, but that wouldn't stop the media from having a field day with this.

1. New York Giants

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GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 03: Wide receiver Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Giants catches a 13-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter over Ellis Hobbs #27 of the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 at the University of P

There is a growing contingency of people out there that rather dig the idea of Burress returning to his old stomping grounds. Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin are still there, so maybe it would be just like old times.

That's all well and good, but the problem is that Burress would be a huge distraction if he were to return to the Giants, albeit through no real fault of his own. He would be under the microscope of the New York press and the rest of the national media, who would both be on the lookout for any and all signs of trouble.

The obvious counterpoint here is that this is going to happen no matter which team Burress signs with, especially if he signs with the Jets. This is probably true, but the Giants have already had to put up with a Burress media circus, and you have to think that the players that had to go through it don't want to go through it again.

The Giants washed their hands of Burress several years ago. They should keep it that way.