Plaxico Burress doesn't understand why he's not playing in the NFL. The 35-year-old receiver has been out of football after playing last season with the New York Jets.
"You really don't know what's going on behind the scenes," Burress told NFL Network's Mark Kriegel on Friday's "NFL AM."
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Burress had 45 receptions for 618 yards and eight touchdowns in 2011, but he has been ignored by all 32 teams. His age doesn't help his cause, but his 6-foot-5 frame still makes him a red-zone threat.
Burress hinted to Kriegel that some NFL teams might hold against him his stint in jail. It doesn't help the reputation that Burress recently was ticketed for speeding. He owned up to the mistake Friday, saying, "Doing 100 in a Ferrari feels like 45."
That explanation probably doesn't help, either.
Burress said he didn't have the same explosion in his legs after he spent 20 months in jail for a gun-possession charge. He still scored eight touchdowns, though.
It's hard to say how much the off-the-field nuances have affected his predicament in comparison to age and skill level. The Jets had him in 2011 and desperately need help at the position, but they appear to have moved on.
"I've moved on from it," Burress said. "I wish a lot of people would, also."
Several NFL teams could use a receiver with size, and Burress seems to have more left in the tank than a Terrell Owens. Burress might not be able to run like he has in the past, but he still presents a phsyical mismatch in the end zone.
Chad Johnson is out of the league, but Randy Moss is in San Francisco. Burress just finds himself in that stage of his career where teams are hesitant to add an older player with some issues away from the field, even if he still can produce.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
