This was perhaps one record that Plaxico Burress may not have actually wanted to set. Earlier this week, it was reported that the New York Giants’ legendary wideout had sold his Super Bowl ring with the help of Heritage Auction. What’s more, he managed to get a very nice price for it.
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Burress’ ring sold for over $280K, which set a new record, surpassing the $230K for which the ring of another Giants legend—Lawrence Taylor— was sold. But for champion athletes, something like a Super Bowl ring is not just another piece of bling, regardless of the price it may fetch.
There are indelible memories linked with it. Particularly so for Burress and his ring from Super Bowl 42.
When the New England Patriots showed up aiming to complete a perfect season at the Super Bowl in 2008, their defensive plan was all about stopping Burress, who was coming off 11 catches for 151 yards in the NFC Championship. They managed to shut him down alright, holding him to just two catches for 27 yards and a TD on nine targets.
The second of those receptions, however, was the game-winning 13-yard touchdown reception with 35 seconds left, that followed David Tyree’s iconic helmet catch. The Giants had slain the Goliath of the league, thanks to Burress’ timely touchdown.
One would think he would cherish that ring as much as anyone. Especially considering he was long out of the team by the time the Eli Manning-led Giants won their 2nd Super Bowl in 2011.
BREAKING: Plaxico Burress’ Giants Super Bowl ring has just sold for $280,600 at @HeritageAuction.
It is the highest ever paid for a Super Bowl player ring, beating out Lawrence Taylor’s Giants ring from Super Bowl XXV ($230K). pic.twitter.com/VZeFb8pVJt
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 23, 2025
On Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson discussed Burress’ predicament. While most have speculated that the sale meant that Burress was in financial trouble, Sharpe was quick to point out that Super Bowl rings don’t mean the same thing to every player.
Ochocinco: “I’m curious, when people actually sell their rings or sell their memorabilia, especially Super Bowl rings like this. Does that mean that they don’t have money anymore? Or he just wanted to get rid of it.”
Sharpe: “I know people will speculate because you work so hard to get that. But rings don’t mean the same thing to everybody.”
Ochocinco: “You can’t eat them rings!”
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While some players may not value their rings as much as others, it’s hard to believe Burress didn’t care about his. He scored the game-winning TD in arguably the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. And it’s his only Super Bowl victory. It’s unlikely that he decided to auction it off just for some extra walking-around money.
Sharpe suggested it might have simply been that life ate up the near $30 million Burress made in the NFL. He had been dumped by the Giants after accidentally shooting himself in the leg with an unlicensed firearm and spending 20 months in prison for it. After that, he managed just one partial season with the Steelers.
Post retirement, life hasn’t been easy for Burress. He has not had a high-paying job since his retirement in 2012. He even got indicted for tax evasion. Clearly, his NFL funds were drying up without any post-NFL career plan.
“Plax, he made over $29 million, let’s just say he made $30 million. We gon’ cut that in half to $15 million. He gotta live… He got in trouble with the law. That probably ate up a million dollars right there. You got a mortgage, you got car notes, you got kids, you got a wife, and you got nothing coming in,” said Sharpe.
If he’d been playing now, Burress likely never would have had this problem. Several wide receivers in the league currently make more in a single year than Burress made in his entire 11-year career. The 6’6″ wideout never made a Pro Bowl, but he did put up four 1,000-yard seasons during his NFL tenure.
The whole predicament made Ochocinco curious. Since he didn’t have a Super Bowl ring of his own, he asked Sharpe, who won three straight from 1998-2000, if he would ever pawn off one of his rings. The answer was a resounding “no”.
“I got three kids. Each kid’s gonna get a ring. They’ll get some stuff, each one will get a Super Bowl jersey, same thing. But, most of the stuff, I’m just gonna end up selling it. Because I know they’re gonna sell it, they’re not gonna keep all those game balls that I won and stuff like that… It doesn’t mean the same to them as it meant to me,” said Sharpe.
One can only hope that the record-setting price that Burress got for his ring will help soothe whatever kind of financial troubles he may be facing. On the other hand, if it wasn’t sold because of financial reasons, Burress is probably feeling like Scrooge McDuck right now.
