Ben Roethlisberger is making a pass for Plaxico Burress.

The Steelers quarterback has been in touch with his former teammate and says it would be “awesome” to have the receiver rejoin him, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports.

“I’ve talked to Plax a number of times in the last couple of weeks,” Roethlisberger said. “I told him, ‘Hey, if you came back here that would be awesome, but I’m just happy to see you playing again’ because he’s a good guy.”

Burress earlier this month was released from a New York prison after serving 20 months for a gun conviction. He last played for the Giants in November 2008.

Roethlisberger also has trouble with the law in his past,; sexual assault charges against him in Georgia were dropped last spring.

Burress is a free agent and can sign with any interested team when the NFL lockout ends.

Roethlisberger and Burress were teammates for one season in Pittsburgh (2005). The report says the men were neighbors.