Free agent wide receiver Plaxico Burress wants to play for the Carolina Panthers next season, but the team reportedly isn’t interested.
A team official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday that the Panthers do not want him.
The mercurial former Jets and Giants wideout said “no doubt about it” when asked on WFNZ in Charlotte about whether he would like to play in the city.
“My brother lives right there in Charlotte, my cousin lives there in Charlotte, and all my family is there in Columbia, South Carolina,” Burress said earlier this week, according to the New York Post.
“It would just be a great situation all the way around and being close to everybody.”
The Virginia native had said he also wouldn’t mind catching passes from second-year quarterbackCam Newton, who was Rookie of the Year after being drafted first overall in 2011.
“Not just [the location], but playing with Cam, who I think is one of the top five quarterbacks in all of football, and as long as I can remember [wide receiver] Steve Smith has been one of my favorites,” Burress said. “I just think it’s a great situation.”
In February, Burress expressed an interest in playing with the Eagles. He told WFNZ this week that teams are interested, but he has yet to find “the right fit.”
Burress, who will be 35 in August, returned to the NFL in 2011 after missing two seasons while in jail for gun possession. He made 45 catches for 612 yards and eight touchdowns last season for the Jets.
Burress’ asking price is reportedly preventing most teams from pursuing him.
A league source told the Post teams feel the Jets overpaid by giving Burress a $3 million deal last season. The Super Bowl XLII champion may have to settle for an incentive-laden deal similar to what the Dolphins gave veteran Chad Ochocinco.
