What is Plaxico Burress' Net Worth?
Plaxico Burress is an American professional football player who has a net worth of $1 million. Plaxico Burress played 12 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver. He first played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then for the New York Giants and Jets before returning to the Steelers for his final NFL season. With the Giants, Burress won Super Bowl XLII against the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
Burress is also somewhat notorious for a shooting incident that occurred in 2009 when he accidentally shot himself in a New York City nightclub. Burress reportedly carried a loaded gun into a club and ended up with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the thigh. He turned himself in two days later on criminal possession of a handgun charges. The Giants cut him because of the ongoing legal drama. Burress accepted a plea deal that sent him to prison for two years. He has faced several other legal battles, including allegations of moving violations, a car accident, and charges that he violated a contract with a car dealership.
Career Earnings
Plaxico Burress earned approximately $29.5 million in salary over the course of his NFL career. Here is a breakdown of his salary by year:
- 2000: $1.23 million (including signing bonus)
- 2001: $450,000
- 2002: $550,000
- 2003: $650,000
- 2004: $2.2 million
- 2005: $1.5 million (including signing bonus)
- 2006: $6.75 million
- 2007: $3.29 million
- 2008: $3.46 million
- 2009: Did not play (suspended)
- 2010: Did not play (suspended)
- 2011: $3 million
- 2012: $925,000
Total career earnings: ~$29.5 million
Financial Problems
In 2005 Plaxico paid $1.5 million for a 5,500 square foot mansion in Totowa, New Jersey. In 2018 it was reported that the mansion was in foreclosure after Burress allegedly stopped paying the mortgage a year earlier. The home was sold in 2015 for $999,000.
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Early Life
Plaxico Burress was born on August 12, 1977 in Norfolk, Virginia. He has two brothers. As a teenager, Burress attended Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, and graduated in 1996. He went on to spend one year at Fork Union Military Academy.
Collegiate Career
Burress played college football at Michigan State University. He was an immediate success as a Spartan, setting a new single-season Big Ten Conference record in his first season by catching a total of 65 passes. Burress topped himself the next season with 66 receptions for 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns. In just two seasons at Michigan State, he recorded 20 touchdown catches, 131 receptions, and 2,155 receiving yards. Burress concluded his collegiate career with a school-record 13 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over the University of Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In the 2000 NFL Draft, Burress was selected eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His first season with the team was a fairly rough one, mostly due to his involvement in an infamous gaffe in which he spiked a ball he believed to be dead, but was in fact live, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars' Danny Clark to recover it and run 44 yards. Burress had a better second season as a Steeler, as he broke the 1,000-yard mark. His third season with the team was his best, however, marked by new career highs in receptions (78) and yards (1,325). Moreover, Burress played his first career playoff game. Overall, across his five seasons and 71 games with the Steelers, Burress amassed 261 receptions for 4,164 yards and 22 touchdowns.
New York Giants
Burress moved to the New York Giants in 2005. He had a strong first season on the team, catching 76 passes for 1,214 yards and helping the Giants secure a first-place finish in the NFC East. Ultimately, the team was frozen out by the Carolina Panthers in the opening round of the playoffs. In 2006, Burress recorded a new career high of 10 touchdowns despite appearing in only 15 games due to injury. The next season was arguably his greatest ever in the NFL, as he helped the Giants advance to Super Bowl XLII. In the game, Burress caught the game-winning touchdown pass that gave the Giants a 17-14 victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
Following his huge success in Super Bowl XLII, Burress became dissatisfied with his contract and refused to practice with the Giants during mandatory mini-camp. He felt that he was underpaid compared to other major NFL receivers. After he didn't show up for work in September of 2008, he was temporarily suspended. Burress eventually returned, but was issued four fines for various unsportsmanlike infractions. He played his final game with the Giants in late November, and was released by the team in April of 2009 amid his accidental shooting court case.
Final Playing Years
In 2011, Burress made his return to the NFL with the New York Jets. He played one season with the team before re-signing with his first team, the Steelers, in late 2012. On December 30, he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the first touchdown he had caught from him since 2004. Burress went on to sign a deal to remain with the Steelers in 2013. However, after suffering a torn rotator cuff during practice in August, he was placed on injured reserve, ending his NFL playing career.
Legal Troubles
Burress has gotten into various legal troubles over the years. The most significant occurred from late 2008 through 2009, beginning with his accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at the New York City nightclub LQ. Burress had a pistol in the pocket of his jeans that became dislodged, and when he reached for it the weapon fired into his right thigh. After a brief stay in the hospital, he turned himself into police, who had inexplicably not been made aware of the incident. It turned out that Burress had only an expired concealed carry license from Florida. In the summer of 2009, he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and one misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment in the second degree. Burress went on to accept a plea deal resulting in a two-year prison sentence with an additional two years of supervised release. He was ultimately released in 2011 after serving 20 months.
Beyond the accidental shooting incident, Burress has had multiple civil lawsuits filed against him for various reasons, including for allegedly causing permanent injuries to a woman whose car he hit and for failing to honor a publicity deal with Chevrolet, which had also leased him a car that he damaged. Burress later got into trouble in 2015 when he was indicted by the State of New Jersey for failing to pay income taxes. At his sentence hearing in early 2016, he faced up to five years of probation as well as a conditional jail sentence.
Personal Life
In 2005, Burress married Tiffany Glenn. The couple has a son named Elijah and a daughter named Giovanna, and lives in Totowa, New Jersey.
