Terrell Owens has likely played his last snap in the NFL. The more time that passes, the less likely the six-time Pro Bowler can expect to be taken seriously. After all, TO has not appeared in a regular season since he was with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010.
However, Owens is not giving up hope. He has taken note of the fact that the NFL has become an increasingly pass-happy team and that several teams are struggling to find reliable receiving targets. One of those teams is the New England Patriots.
“Obviously the situation with the Patriots, they are starting out with a lot of new guys,” Owens told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “You never know how management is thinking, what their process is as far as bringing in veterans.
“I understand they may look at my age as an issue but I’m not your average 39-year-old. I think if you watch me work out, I’m not really concerned about injuries or anything like that. Plus, I’ll be getting paid the vet minimum, so it’s not like I am asking for any extra incentive in my contract.”
Over the summer, TO said he is hoping for another chance but will retire if it does not come in 2013. He told Washburn he is a “different person than I was 10 years ago” and once again reiterated that he would not be a distraction and would strictly be looking to contribute to a winning cause. While Owens said he would love to play for any team, he made a specific pitch to the Patriots.
“Tom Brady has a lot of young guys and I’m sure he could use some veteran help and I would love to play for a guy like Bill Belichick and play with a quarterback like Tom,” he said. “They are going to try to win by [receiving] committee. Coach Belichick is a smart guy that has won with not necessarily a main receiver. Aside from when Randy [Moss] played there, they’ve really had a lot of guys to produce as a committee. That’s where I could possibly fit in.”
Patriots fans would likely be all for it. Through the first two weeks of the season, we have seen rookies like Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins consistently drop passes and run the wrong routes. Of course, fans don’t make roster decisions. TO caught passes from Tom Brady at USC over the summer, so you know the two are at least associates. If the Patriots haven’t had him in for a workout yet, there probably isn’t any interest.
