While free-agent wide receiver Plaxico Burress thinks he would be a great fit in Chicago, multiple sources have told the Sun-Times that the Bears would only be interested in the former New York Giants playmaker at a bargain basement price, if at all.
Burress told WMVP (AM-1000) on Tuesday that the Bears will be one of this top three destinations when the lockout ends. While Burress would seem to fit the Bears need of a bigger, play-making receiver, he was recently freed after serving almost two years for carrying an unlicensed gun after accidentally shooting himself in the leg in a New York night club. As if character concerns, inactivity and his age (he turns 34 next month) weren’t enough to worry about, Burress is not known for running the type of precise routes required in offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s offense.
In other words, while he may be the type of receiver that quarterback Jay Cutler would love to throw in a sandlot game, he likely doesn’t fit the requirements of Martz’s precision scheme.
The fact that the NFL lockout would prevent Cutler and Burress from practicing with each other in the offseason and during a potentially abbreviated preseason could be seen as another detriment.
“Oh without question, without a doubt [the Bears are among my top three destinations],” Burress said on “The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show” on Tuesday. “My decision making is going to come down to what I said, playing with an elite quarterback, playing with a running game, playing with a great tight end, and Greg Olsen is already that guy, in my estimation he’ll be a Pro Bowler this season.
“That’s the same situation I went into when I made my decision to go to New York. It’s a pretty similar situation.”
Burress said he’s “a big fan” of Cutler’s during the radio interview and that he has received a lot of “love” from Bears fans via social networking sites.
“I can’t say where I’m already going,” Burress said. “There are a lot of situations for me to go into. It’s not solely going to be based on how much I’m going to be making. It’s going to be based on me putting myself in a great situation. Me going to a city where I’m going to be embraced by the fans, and going to an organization that I can help and make the other players around me have the impact, go out and score some touchdowns and hopefully win the Super Bowl.”
