NEW YORK // Plaxico Burress, who vowed to resume his NFL career after serving a prison sentence on a gun charge, will get his second chance with the New York Jets.
Burress, a former star receiver and Super Bowl hero for the New York Giants, reached an agreement in principle on a one-year deal with the Jets yesterday, the NFL team said.
Burress caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 35 seconds remaining in the 2008 Super Bowl to give the Giants a 17-14 victory over New England and spoil the Patriots' bid for an undefeated championship run.
But later that year Burress walked into a Manhattan nightclub with a gun tucked in the top of his trousers.
The gun slipped down and a shot was fired as he tried to grab the gun, wounding Burress in the thigh. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Meanwhile, a person with knowledge of the deal says the Jets have also agreed to terms on a contract with Antonio Cromartie, keeping the cornerback in New York after losing out on Nnamdi Asomugha to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cromartie, acquired last offseason from San Diego, was solid for New York opposite Darrelle Revis, finishing with 42 tackles and three interceptions.
The person spoke to The Associated Press early Monday morning on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move.
After signing wide receiver Santonio Holmes, their top priority, the Jets went after Asomugha and were one of the favorites to land the most-coveted player in free agency. But Asomugha surprisingly signed with Philadelphia, leaving New York to go to its backup plan in Cromartie.
Elsewhere, Turk McBride, the Free agent defensive end, has agreed to contract terms with the New Orleans Saints.
This adds depth to a position where the Saints may need it for the beginning of the season due to the possibility of expected starting defensive end Will Smith being suspended from his use of StarCaps weight-loss pill in 2008.
The addition of McBride, a five-year veteran who has started 12 games during the past two seasons for the Detroit Lions, was confirmed by Saints spokesman Greg Bensel on Sunday night although terms have not been released.
Earlier Sunday, the Saints confirmed they had also agreed to terms with cornerback Fabian Washington, adding depth at cornerback while starter Tracy Porter continues his recovery from offseason knee surgery.
"Tracy Porter's nicked up right now and the season is going to be quicker upon us than it normally is," Sean Payton, the Saints coach, said. "So, it's being smart when you look at all of our numbers."
The off-field frenzy has not let up for the Arizona Cardinals.
The team, revamping their roster in a bid to return to the top in the NFC West after a 5-11 season a year ago, started yesterday by signing two-time All-Pro tight end Todd Heap and wrapped up the afternoon by trading the running back Tim Hightower to the Washington Redskins for the defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday and an undisclosed draft pick.
The team also re-signed free agent guard Deuce Lutui after he failed a physical with the Cincinnati Bengals for being overweight.
