What's shaping up to be one of the NFL's wildest and most unpredictable free-agent signing periods ever — and certainly, the shortest — finds the Houston Texans all over the biggest names available.

Just hours after ESPN NFL information guru Chris Mortensen revealed that his sources tell him that the Texans are expected to offer the most money to cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who's widely considered to be the No. 1 free agent available, there's more. The Newark Star-Ledger — the largest newspaper in New Jersey and an influential source of New York Giants coverage — reports that the Texans are one of the three front runners to sign troubled and talented, ex-Giants wideout Plaxico Burress.

The Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams are the other two teams most hotly pursuing Burress, according to a source close to the wide receiver's camp. There are other sources saying that the Giants aren't out of the picture yet either.

Houston as a prime player for Burress is arguably even more surprising than the idea of Texans owner Bob McNair breaking the bank to sign Asomugha. For while Burress could be a bargain, given his former Pro Bowl talents, he's also exactly the type of "character risk" that Houston's NFL franchise typically says it runs away from, screaming.

Burress is coming off a 21-month prison stay on weapons charges after he infamously accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan night club with a gun that wasn't licensed in New York state. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg pushed for Burress' prison term, arguing that New York's stringent gun laws needed to apply to the rich and famous as well.

This guy as a Texan? What parallel universe has broken out post NFL lockout?

What's up with the new win-first Bob McNair? And how can we make sure he sticks around and doesn't turn timid again before Friday?

Yes, signing Burress is a risk. Yes, it's easy to argue that the Texans have more pressing concerns than wide receiver. (Which shouldn't be confused with any absurd notion that they don't need another receiver. Watch how often Andre Johnson was still double teamed last season and those ideas about resigning Jacoby Jones (for three years and nearly $11 million) being enough quickly dissipate). Yes, approaching 34, with two seasons out of the game, Burress may never return to his sometimes dominant form.

But he's still 6-foot-5, still a huge target. And perhaps even more importantly, it still would show the Texans are going bold, pushing all their chips to the center of the table Jim Fassel-style.

Signing Burress and losing out on Asomugha would still represent a complete disaster of an offseason. But it's encouraging that the Texans are coming off so determined to be major players.

Burress has already campaigned to come to Houston, courting Johnson and Texans quarterback Matt Schaub with a zeal usually reserved for Bachelor contestants.

"When you say Houston, all I can say is 'Wow,' " Buress gushed in an NFL Network interview a few weeks ago. "That's all I can say, because I give respect where respect is due. And I believe Andre Johnson is the best wide receiver in football. ... The way he's playing down in Houston, they're getting everything going in the right direction.

"Matt Schaub has really taken off as an elite quarterback. I think Arian Foster is one of the top five running backs in this league. I think that team is bound for the playoffs this year and looking forward to great things."

Sometimes the move that everyone else thinks is crazy is the move that leads to an even bigger splash. Are you buying the Texans' vision?