Burress to have shoulder surgery

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress will undergo shoulder surgery, the team announced via Twitter on Friday.

Burress was carted off the practice field Thursday, and NFL.com and ESPN.com later reported that he sustained a torn right rotator cuff.

They injury may not only cost Burress the season, but perhaps his career.

Burress was attempting to catch a pass while being defended by two defensive backs, and he landed awkwardly on his right shoulder.

The 12-year veteran is competing for a spot as a No. 4 or 5 wide receiver in his second stint with the Steelers.

Burress, 35, had three catches for 42 yards in four games with the Steelers last season. He has 553 career receptions for 8,499 yards with 64 touchdowns in 147 games.

Earlier in his career, Burress had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Steelers and two for the New York Giants, and he helped the Giants stun the New England Patriots and win Super Bowl XLII in February 2008.

In November 2008, Burress accidentally shot himself in the right leg while at a New York City nightclub. A weapons charge led to a prison stay of nearly two years, keeping him out of the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He returned to play all 16 games for the New York Jets in 2011.