It wasn’t the guaranteed green that attracted Plaxico Burress to the Jets.
It was the love they showed the receiver back in 2009 before he went to prison. A source said Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum visited Burress in Florida to learn about his legal situation at that time.
“I was able to sit down with them and talk to them,” Burress said in a conference call, after the receiver agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.017 million, fully guaranteed. The 17,000 is a nod to his No. 17 he wore with the Giants.
“It really meant a lot to me and my family especially with all the events we had going on at that time, not knowing the fate of my situation or what was going to transpire. Just for them to be there at that time it just really said a lot about them. I was really humbled by it. To get the call and to be able to come here and play for them for somebody who really supported me through the thick, just not the thin, meant a lot for me. I just hope I can come here and play great and help them win a championship.”
The Giants, according to a source who divulged the numbers to The Post, offered Burress a one-year, $4 million deal but the guaranteed portion was much less than the Jets’ offer. The Giants offered $1 million in salary but no signing bonus. Instead, Burress would get $500,000 if he was active for every game and could earn $2.5 million in performance bonuses.
Burress met with Giants coach Tom Coughlin and team brass on Friday night.
Burress said that “went very well.” He met with his other former team, the Steelers, on Saturday. According to reports, the Super Bowl XLII hero was about to board a plane to San Francisco to meet with the 49ers when he decided to sign with the Jets. Burress said he did not have to talk to coach Rex Ryan to make his decision.
“He had called me and left me a couple of messages,” Burress said of his new play-friendly coach. “I didn’t need to talk to him to know what kind of situation I was getting into and what kind of coach he is and how much he loves this game and his players.”
He has not played since 2008 when he accidentally shot himself in the leg in a Manhattan nightclub. Once Burress had the offer from the Jets, he said there wasn’t much of a choice to make.
“They were really the first to really support me with everything I was going through at that time,” Burress said. “It just felt right for me to be able to come here with everything that I had going on a couple of years ago to have those guys support me the way that they did. I just feel like I made the right decision. .. It wasn’t a hard decision to make.”
The signing of Burress gives Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez a 6-foot-5 receiver to line up opposite speedster Santonio Holmes, who the Jets inked to a five-year deal last week. The signing does not come without risk, though. Burress turns 34 on Aug. 12 and is coming off a 21-month prison stint.
Burress pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in August of 2009 and received a two-year prison term. He was released three months early for good behavior.
“They put their trust in me to be able to come in and contribute and have an impact,” Burress said. “I feel physically great. I feel like I’m in great condition. I’m ready to get to the field and just put aside all the talk.”
Burress said that along with the Giants, Steelers and 49ers that the Eagles were also interested in signing him.
The signing of Burress will soften the blow of losing out on free agent cornerback
Nnamdi Asomugha to the Eagles on Friday night in shocking fashion. Ryan is surely loving this move because the Jets are stealing the spotlight from the Giants once again, this time by signing its Super Bowl hero.
“Just going with my heart,” Burress said. “You know just putting myself in the best situation for me and being able to compete to win a world championship, to become a part of a great organization, a great coach, the guys have a great team on deck. It was just something that I wanted to be a part of. I feel that they have something special over here. I just wanted to be a part of. Hopefully we can do some great things.”’