Giants RB Jacobs wants Burress to return

Feb 26, 2009 - 7:35 PM EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) - Brandon Jacobs got his money. The next item on his wish list may not come as easy.

One day after signing a four-year, $25 million contract, the New York Giants' running back said Thursday the team is one player away from getting back to the Super Bowl.

"Number one, we have to hope Plaxico Burress gets out of all the issues he has going on there legally," Jacobs said. "If he can get out of that, we can bring him back and I think that is basically all we need, to be honest with you."

Getting Burress will not be easy. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list and suspended for four games for conduct detrimental to the team following an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Manhattan nightclub in late November.

Without their star wide receiver, who is awaiting trial March 31 on two felony counts of possessing a loaded handgun, New York lost three of its last four regular-season games and saw its reign as Super Bowl champs KO'd with a 23-11 playoff defeat to Philadelphia.

Jacobs said he has been text-messaging regularly with Burress and said the controversial wideout expects to be back with the Giants.

"Yes, he does. If he can get out of this situation that he is in, everybody prays and hopes that he doesn't go to jail, and then the sky is the limit for him," Jacobs said. "He has cleaned up, no organization problems, no off the field problems, none of that would be happening with him again.

"I don't see any of that happening because he knows how close he came to losing everything he has. I think his mind is right now and he is ready to get back out there and perform like he had been doing.

Jacobs, who posted his second straight 1,000-yard season - both coming as a starter - and rushed for 15 touchdowns last season, said he was happy to get the contract situation behind him.

"I had been wanting to get something done for a long time, so I was kind of excited to finally get there and finally get it done," he said. "I was satisfied with everything I got. It is a fair deal. I feel good about the whole thing."

The Giants had designated Jacobs as their franchise player on February 13, which would have guaranteed that Jacobs be paid $6,621,000 next season - the average salary of the five highest-paid running backs in the league.

However, both Jacobs and general manager Jerry Reese expressed confidence at the time that the sides would come to agreement on a long-term deal.

"I kind of figured it (the franchise tag) was done to keep other teams away and I didn't have a problem with that at all," Jacobs said. "I knew I loved to be here and they would do whatever they had to do to keep me here."

The 6-4, 265-pounder, who has averaged 5.0 yards per carry in his two seasons as a starter, admitted that one drawback of his new contract will be the team's inability to keep fellow running back Derrick Ward.

"With the nature of the business, I don't expect to see him back, but with the way things can go I think they are going to take a crack at him, no question," Jacobs said. "I think they are going to give it a shot."