Plaxico Burress: Yeah, I Pled Guilty ... But I Won't Do Jail Time

Plaxico Burress pled guilty to tax evasion in New Jersey Monday -- but will NOT spend one second behind bars ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, officials in Mercer County, NJ charged the ex-NFL star with two tax crimes for failing to pay $48k in state taxes ... each count carried a maximum 5 year prison sentence under NJ's new ultra-strict tax laws.

But Plax's rep tells TMZ Sports ... Burress struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty and in exchange he'll serve no jail time.

Instead, Plaxico will do community service and pay penalties -- in addition to repaying the money he initially owed. In fact, we're told Plax has already paid off his financial debt.

Burress' rep tells us the whole thing was a giant misunderstanding -- explaining Plax screwed up when initially tried to pay his taxes online.

"He messed up. He knew he messed up. Everyone cooperated, and Plaxico paid the fine," Plax's rep says.