clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Steelers Plaxico Burress unsure whether he'll play again

His season, and maybe his career, ended when Plaxico Burress tore up his rotator cuff during training camp. He told the team's web site he's unsure whether he'll attempt a comeback.

By Neal Coolong
Karl Walter
Steelers wide receiver accomplished two things this preseason - he managed to tie the phrase "36th birthday" with "active football player."

Very few NFL wide receivers last until they reach 36 years of age. That in itself is an accomplishment, even without the two seasons he missed while serving time for a felony gun conviction.

Burress tore his rotator cuff this preseason, and recently told the team's web site he isn't sure whether he's going to try to play again next season.

“I will see how I feel,” Burress told Teresa Varley. “I will put my family first. I don’t want to put myself in a situation where I am not able to function five or 10 years down the road."

How much Burress would have even seen the field - assuming he made the team - is another story, but going out with help from trainers followed by grueling rehabilitation, regardless of age, is enough to sharpen a mind for a decision.

Burress is unsigned for the 2014 season, obviously depending on whether he's able to recover. Rotator cuff injuries are not something one fully recovers from in a short amount of time. Even if he is recovered, maybe he doesn't get another shot.

With Emmanuel Sanders hitting free agency next year, as well as Jerricho Cotchery, the Steelers appear to be faced with another need at the position. Sanders would be the ideal option with Cotchery likely being second.

Stranger things have happened, though, and that's not speaking directly to loaded handguns firiing in night clubs.

More from Behind the Steel Curtain:

More From Behind the Steel Curtain