NFL

Burress, Giants show mutual interest in second chance

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Plaxico Burress is seriously considering a return to the Giants, an NFL source told The Post last night.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the interest is mutual, and Burress recognizes he would have to have a conversation with coach Tom Coughlin to repair the bridge he burned in a post-prison interview.

Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who has developed a friendship with Burress, has called him, and so has Giants quarterback Eli Manning, The Post has learned.

Asked point-blank whether Burress has ruled out the Giants, the source said: “No,” before adding: “The Giants are a possibility.”

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A report on nj.com stated Burress will meet today with Coughlin at the Giants’ practice facility. Burress, according to the report, said, “I really don’t know what I’m going to say. I’m just going to go in there and speak from the heart, be truthful with him and let him know how I feel. I’m pretty sure there are things he wants to say, too.”

Any conversation, though, will have to wait. The newly instituted rules of free agency prohibit any meetings with teams until Friday.

“If we are going to meet with Plaxico it won’t be until Friday, when such visits are permitted,” a Giants source said.

Coughlin in the past days indicated he would be willing to sit down with Burress.

“I know Tom is open to sitting down with Plaxico and discussing his future,” Giants co-owner John Mara told The Post.

The NFL source said the Giants are among a handful of teams that have expressed genuine interest, a list that includes the Eagles and Jets. The same source said the Giants reached out to Burress, who was in Florida, asking him to come in and chat.

In Tuesday’s paper, The Post reported exclusively Coughlin had informed general manager Jerry Reese he was willing to sit down and talk with Burress. Although another source said the notion that Burress would return to the Giants was “far-fetched,” the possibility of a meeting with Coughlin indicated no decision had been made.

That Coughlin would agree to a meeting is not shocking, even though Burress since getting out of jail has given every indication he wants nothing to do with Coughlin.

No doubt any conversation with Coughlin would center on Burress’ hostile words in a post-prison interview on ESPN Radio in which he called his relationship with Coughlin “ambivalent, to say the least.”

Burress was fined numerous times and suspended more than once by Coughlin, punishments that Burress explained away as the result of a head coach who did not care about him as a person.

“I kind of felt it was like, ‘I’m the coach, you are the player, it doesn’t matter what you have to say, you just do what I tell you to do,’ “ Burress said in the interview. “This is not college. This is professional sports. If you can’t sit down and go talk to a man that you are busting your tail for, not even have the respect for anything that you have to say, the only thing I knew then was to rebel.”

The Giants viewed those words as evidence Burress did not leave prison as truly changed in terms of taking responsibility for his actions while with the team.

Running back Brandon Jacobs, Burress’ best friend on the team, made several visits to Oneida Correctional Facility to see Burress and had more than once conversation about a possible return. In the spring, Jacobs said, “There is no chance Plaxico Burress is a New York Giant after he comes home.”

Now it appears there is a chance.

paul.schwartz@nypost.com