Oddsmakers Think Plaxico Burress Could Become a Viking

This qualifies as an intriguing tidbit: The oddsmaking site Bodog places the odds of the Vikings signing newly-unimprisoned receiver Plaxico Burress at 15/2, tying them with the Redskins for fourth position in the presumptive Plaxico sweepstakes. The Eagles are considered the favorites at 3/2, I guess based on their recent history of signing felons.

The rationale behind mentioning the Vikings in this conversation is simple: They could lose Sidney Rice, leaving them with a gaping hole at receiver. If Rice’s free agent status remains restricted after the whole labor mess gets sorted out, guaranteeing his return to the Vikings for 2011, those odds plummet.

There’s another factor to consider as regards Plaxico: The Vikings’ plan at quarterback. If the idea is to throw Christian Ponder into the fray as a rookie, I doubt Leslie Frazier would love the idea of signing a guy like Burress, who has more than a little baggage. But if the quarterback is a veteran like Kyle Orton? The Vikings might be more amenable to taking on Plax and all that goes with him.

In the end, I think it’s very doubtful the Vikings would sign Plax, regardless of how the Sidney Rice situation plays out. The team’s evident desire to move on from guys like Ray Edwards and Bernard Berrian (a plan that may not come to fruition if the lockout doesn’t end soon) signals a wish to upgrade in the character department. Needless to say, Plax would not help in this regard.

There’s also the fact that Plax has been mouldering in prison for almost two years. I know Michael Vick was able to get himself back into shape fairly quickly after his release, but let’s remember that Plax is three years older than Vick, and that there were questions about Plax’s work ethic even before he shot himself in the foot and went to jail. We have no idea how motivated Plax is to get himself back. Maybe he’s keen to prove himself like Vick was, but that’s a big maybe. Let a team with a more secure situation – the Eagles maybe, or the Jets or the Ravens – take the gamble.

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