Former Giants WR Plaxico Burress’s Super Bowl Ring Up for Auction | News Briefs

Plaxico Burress is parting with his Super Bowl XLII ring.

Feb 3, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress (17) celebrates after catching the game-winning touchdown against the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14. / Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

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FEB. 8. PLAXICO BURRESS’S SUPER BOWL RING UP FOR AUCTION. Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning to defeat the previously undefeated New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLII, has put his Super Bowl championship ring on the auction block.

The diamond-crusted 14K white gold ring, listed by Heritage Auctions, currently has a bid of $35,000. According to the item description listed by the auction house, Burress certified in writing that the size 11 ring is the only one he received from the team to commemorate his participation in the Giants’ stunning championship victory and that no duplicate copies were made of the estimated $100,000 item.

A view of Super Bowl XLII ring to commemorate the New York Giants 17-14 victory over the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb 3, 2008. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Burress’s football career fell apart in 2008 that began when a gun he was carrying on his person accidentally discharged, injuring his thigh during an evening at a Manhattan nightclub.

It was later found that the gun belonging to Burress, for which he had a concealed weapons permit from the state of Florida that had expired, was not registered in New York. 

The receiver was initially charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree but eventually reached a plea deal where the charges were reduced to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, the receiver being sentenced to a two-year prison term. 

The Giants released Burress to allow him to focus on resolving his legal obligations. The receiver did not play during the 2009 and 2010 seasons due to serving his prison sentence and a suspension by the league for having violated the league’s personal conduct policy. 

He returned to the NFL in 2011 with the Jets, for whom he played 16 games with 13 starts. He concluded his playing career the following season with the Steelers, the team with whom he began his NFL career in 2000 as a first-round draft pick.

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FEB. 6. GIANTS ASSISTANT COACH UPDATES. The New York Giants have reportedly hired Jeff Burriss as their new assistant secondary/cornerbacks coach, FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz reported. 

Burris will join newly hired defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel, who was hired last month to replace Jerome Henderson, to oversee the cornerbacks and safeties.

Burriss is a former NFL cornerback. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the first round of the 1994 draft out of Notre Dame, and he played for them for four seasons. He also played for the Colts, Bengals, and Patriots, and his final year of playing was 2004.

Burris turned to coaching in 2011, first at the high school level, before moving to college the following year to join the UMass staff. He did spend three seasons with the Miami Dolphins as their assistant defensive backs coach (2013-2015), which would have put him in the organization around the same time as current Giants general manager Joe Schoen. 

Burris returned to the college ranks in 2016 and remained there, making career stops at Notre Dame, Northern Iowa, Louisiana Tech (twice, including last year), and Louisiana.  

In other Giants coaching news, Giants assistant quarterbacks coach Christian Jones, who has interviewed with the Browns and Seahawks for their quarterbacks coaching positions, has been hired by the Browns to be their tight ends coach, according to NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo.

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FEB. 4. REPORT: GIANTS AGM BRANDON BROWN TO INTERVIEW FOR JAGUARS GM POST. New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown, who didn’t get the Las Vegas general manager job that instead went to John Spytek last month, is getting one last chance this hiring cycle at a general manager post.

CBS insider Jonathan Jones reported that Brown is among five candidates that the Jacksonville Jaguars, who fired Trent Baalke last month. requested permission to interview for their vacancy.

The others include Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander, Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown, Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, and Bucs assistant general manager Mike Greenberg.

The Jaguars have already hired their new head coach, Liam Coen, to replace the fired Doug Pederson. Coen has already begun filling out his coaching staff, so whoever gets the general manager post won’t have much say regarding how the coaching staff takes shape.

It’s unknown if not having had a say in the head coaching post might dampen any enthusiasm for the Jaguars’ general manager job.  

Brown has been busy with the Giants lately, having attended the Shrine and Senior Bowls last week. It’s unknown if he plans to interview with the Jaguars or wait another year to see if additional general manager positions open up.

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FEB 3. EX-GIANTS RB SAQUON BARKLEY BECOMES ENGAGED. Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley had quite the calendar year in 2024 between finally getting the contract he wanted and showing he still had plenty of life left in his 27-year-old body.

For Barkley, the 2025 calendar year might be even better.

In addition to trying to help the Eagles pursue their second Super Bowl championship this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, Barkley shared with People magazine that he and his longtime girlfriend, Anna Congdon, recently became engaged.

The 27-year-old Barkley, who celebrates his birthday on Super Bowl Sunday, shares daughter Jada and son Saquon, Jr. with Congdon, whom he’s known since their days at Penn State, where they met in 2017. He credited Congdon for her unconditional support as he transitioned from college to superstardom in the NFL.

"I can't be the athlete I am and have the success I have so in my career without the help of her," he said.

"She's been super helpful and always has my back, not only in football but throughout life. But as we continue to grow and mature and go through life together, we continue getting closer and continue to get even better."

Barkley broke the hearts of Giants fans everywhere when, after a tumultuous round of contract negotiations with the team that made him the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, he bolted for the Giants biggest rivals last offseason after general manager Joe Schoen elected not to use the franchise tag a second time to retain Barkley’s services.

Schoen, as it was later learned on Hard Knocks, not only didn’t make the running back a new offer after doing so several times the previous offseason, but he also stated his belief that running backs tended to deteriorate performance-wise once they hit age 27.

Barkley proved Schoen wrong by rushing for over 2,000 yards behind an arguably better offensive line in Philadelphia than he would have had in New York.

This has undoubtedly caused Giants team co-owner John Mara, who famously said during an episode of Hard Knocks that he’d have trouble sleeping if Barkley went to the Eagles. 

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FEB. 1. GIANTS IDL DEXTER LAWRENCE HAMS IT UP AT THE PRO BOWL. New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence didn’t have much to smile about during the 2024 season between the team’s 3-14 record, the worst in its 100-year history, and his season-ending injury.

But Lawrence, a team leader and defensive captain who is widely respected for his easygoing leadership style, seemed to be having a blast at this year’s Pro Bowl skills challenge down in Orlando, Florida.

Lawrence was caught on video egging on his fellow NFC all-stars to attempt his "Sexy Dexy" sack celebraton dance.

Among those who tried to replicate it--some with success and some without--included fellow Giants teammate Malik Nabers, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, Bucs defensive lineman Vita Vea, and Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson.

“There’s a dance… I’m very well known for” 🤣

Dexter back on the 360 Cam 🎥 pic.twitter.com/cmaPOel82m

— New York Giants (@Giants) February 2, 2025

Lawrence, nicknamed “Sexy Dexy, did his to dance nine times this past season, one each for his career-high nine sacks recorded in just 12 games.

The only member of the Giants to be voted as a "starter" for the annual Pro Bowl, Lawrence attended despite having had his 2024 campaign cut short due to a dislocated elbow suffered against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

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FEB. 1. GIANTS ASSISTANT COACH GETS ANOTHER INTERVIEW. New York Giants assistant quarterbacks coach Christian Jones, who last month interviewed for the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach role that ultimately went to Ashton Grant, will reportedly get another chance at landing a similar role, this time with the Seatle Seahawks.

Jones just completed his third season with the Giants and his second as the assistant quarterbacks coach. In his first season with the team (2022), he was an offensive assistant. He has spent the last two seasons in his current role.

Before joining the Giants, Jones spent three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, his first NFL coaching job. One of those seasons was as an offensive quality control coach, and two as an assistant wide receivers coach.

Before coming to the NFL, Jones was an offensive assistant and offensive line coach with Northwestern University, his alma mater in 2017, and then a graduate assistant at the University of Texas.

Jones played wide receiver for Northwestern, finishing his college career with 128 receptions for 1,509 yards and eight touchdowns in 51 games played.

If he is offered and accepts the Seahawks job, he will become the third known Giants assistant coach to leave the team for another position, following Zak Kur and Ben Burress.

He’d also be the fifth known change on head coach Brian Daboll’s staff, joining Kur, Burress, cornerbacks coach Jerome Henderson, and safeties coach Michael Treier, the latter two having been dismissed by Daboll. 

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More New York Giants News Briefs

• January 2025

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