Plaxico Burress insists he’s healthy, tremendously excited to see what he can do on two working legs and, most importantly to Giants fans, promises to be at training camp along with his teammates when players report July 24 in Albany.
Burress on June 11 stunned the Giants by keeping himself out of the veteran minicamp because of what he said was a “business decision” and vowed not to step foot on the practice field until he received a new contract.
Those were militant words spoken without anger, but today he sounded completely confident a deal will get done.
“I’m getting good feedback,” Burress told The Post about a new deal. “I think it’s going to get done. I’m not concerned about it. I don’t want to go anywhere, I’m happy here in New York, I just want to make sure I’m here for a long time.”
Asked his certainty about signing a new contract before camp, Burress said “No question.”
Burress has three years remaining on the deal he signed with the Giants as a free agent prior to the 2005 season. He’s scheduled to make $3.25 million this season and a total of $7.25 million in the next two years.
Burress trained this offseason in Florida but is back in New Jersey to kick off the promotion of his new book, “Giant: The Road to the Super Bowl.”
Burress in great detail chronicles the myriad injuries that slowed him last season, including torn ligaments in his right ankle (suffered in the second game of the season), a torn ligament in his left pinky and separated shoulder (both in the NFC title game in Green Bay), and the bizarre sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee incurred while slipping in the shower days before Super Bowl XLII.
That knee injury nearly kept him out of the game against the Patriots and severely limited his effectiveness, up until the final minute, when Burress burned cornerback Ellis Hobbs for the game-winning touchdown catch.
Rather than work out with his teammates at Giants Stadium, Burress followed his usual course of action this offseason and trained in Florida. His injuries did not require surgery and he said he’s feeling better than he has in a long, long time.
“I’m close to 100 percent,” Burress said. “The knee is 100 percent healthy. The shoulder is 100 percent healthy. The ankle is probably about 90 percent. I played on it so long with it hurt that’s why it took so long to heal up. I’m looking forward to it being 100 percent in a few weeks.
“I’m excited to be playing when I’m 100 percent. I don’t remember what it feels like to play pain-free.”
As for his good buddy, disgruntled tight end Jeremy Shockey, Burress spoke with him last week and cannot say with any certainty that Shockey will be in Albany on the reporting date.
“Jeremy has to do what’s best for Jeremy,” Burress said. “I don’t want to be so selfish by saying I want him back if he’s not happy. Put a guy in a situation where he is happy. He said he’s not [happy]. He’d like them to act like they like the guy and want him around. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”