Playing For Jets Is Like Being In Prison, Both Make You Feel Like A Loser, Says Plaxico Burress

Plaxico Burress just delivered one of the more brutal takes on a franchise you’ll hear from a former player. The retired wide receiver, who spent one season with the New York Jets in 2011, compared the experience of playing for the team to serving time in prison – and he was not being subtle about it.

“They’re both kind of similar because when I walked into prison on my first day, I was like, ‘Damn man you a f*cking loser,'” Burress said on the Joint Venture Show. “And I had the same damn feeling every day I walked through the door with the Jets. Loser.”

The Comparison Has a Very Specific Context

Burress is drawing on firsthand experience with both situations. In November 2008, a handgun he was carrying went off in a New York nightclub, resulting in a self-inflicted leg wound. Because he didn’t have a legal carry license in New York, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and sentenced to prison, where he spent roughly two years before being reinstated by the league.

The Jets signed him in 2011 – his first season back. He appeared in all 16 games, catching 8 touchdowns and posting 612 receiving yards. New York went 8–8, missed the playoffs, and parted ways with him after one year. Burress played one more partial season with the Steelers before retiring.

Coming directly from prison to the Jets, most might have expected Burress to feel a sense of freedom playing at MetLife Stadium. However, his comments show that was far from the truth.

The Jets’ organizational culture has drawn scrutiny well beyond Burress, with questions about leadership and player development surfacing repeatedly across different coaching regimes.

Why the Quote Resonates Beyond the Joke

While his comments are tongue-in-cheek, the joke shows how a player’s view of a franchise can deeply affect their experience. A team can go 8–8 and still feel dysfunctional – the locker room atmosphere, the front office communication, the day-to-day environment all factor into how a player experiences a season. Burress isn’t saying the Jets lost too many games. He’s saying just wearing the jersey and being a Jet was a low.

The Jets have cycled through coaches, quarterbacks, and roster overhauls in the years since, and the franchise’s reputation with players has remained a consistent storyline, right up to the present day as the team’s current quarterback situation continues generating headlines.

All in all, Burress made his point with about as much directness as you can muster. He spent time in both places. He knows which one he’d prefer. And apparently it wasn’t MetLife Stadium.