The Fan Hub

Apparently Plaxico Burress is doing everything that he can to get under the skin of the New York Giants fans. The former Giants receiver, who spent this past season with the New York Jets, his first since getting sent to prison in 2009 for a weapons charge, is reportedly interested in joining the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012. Burress showed flashes of his old self after signing a one-year deal with the Jets, but was nowhere near the impact player that he was during his tenure with the Giants.

The question at this point is whether or not Burress is worth it for the Eagles. They have had their fair share of mercurial wide receivers over the years between Terrell Owens and, most recently, DeSean Jackson, and may want to go a different route. Jackson is a free agent as well and unlikely to return given the amount of distractions that he caused while providing inconsistent production at best. But while Jackson is just 26 years old and still one of the best deep threats in the game, Burress will be 35 when the 2012 season starts and will never again be the number one receiver that he once was.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t help a team like the Eagles. Jeremy Maclin will undoubtedly be their number one target, but he lacks the size of someone like the 6’5” Burress to be a big red zone target. Still, if Burress does go to Philly, they will still need a deep threat for Michael Vick to throw to. Maclin is a possession receiver who is best suited working the middle of the field, and Burress lacks the speed at this point of his career to be anything more than a third option in between the 20s.

Of course, there’s also the personality issue. Burress receives more criticism than he probably deserves for being a malcontent, and his work ethic has not been inconsistent since he left Pittsburgh — certainly nothing on the level of what Jackson exhibited this year. But he remains a lightning rod for controversy, and the Eagles could probably use a break from high-risk free agent signings for a few years.