The First NFL preseason game is only a mere fifteen days away and Terrell Owens is still searching for a team to play with. The Buffalo Bills chose not to extend Owens contract at the end of last season, after the six time pro bowl selection posted 829 receiving yards and five touchdowns in his one season with the Bills.

The thirty six year old Owens was once widely considered to be one of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL, but now as he enters his 15th season in the league teams are hesitant to take a chance on the aging T.O. Terrell Owens has had numerous controversies that have ranged from an alleged suicide attempt by Owens in 2006 to Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall accusing Terrell of spitting in his face after a play. That is a major reason why T.O. is still without a team this late in the offseason. A simple consensus amongst most NFL teams is that Owens’ production on the field is no longer large enough for a team to take on his sometimes larger than life personality.

Terrell Owens has been mentioned in connection with numerous NFL teams over the course off the offseason but none of the interest has progressed beyond talking. Just when it looked like T.O. would be watching the 2010-2011 NFL season from his couch at home one team has stepped up and is showing a rekindled interest in T.O.
Earlier this year in March the Cincinnati Bengals brought Terrell Owens and his agent Drew Rosenhaus to Cincinnati to meet with team management before ultimately deciding to sign wide receiver Antonio Bryant. At that time it seemed as though Bryant’s arrival in Cincinnati signaled the end of any speculation that T.O would be playing at Paul Brown Stadium next season. Now though with the start of the preseason only two weeks away and Terrell Owens still dangling out there on the free agent market searching for a team it seems as though the Bengals are taking another look at the former All-Pro wide receiver.

There are four reasons why the Bengals are once again interested in Owens and why it would not be shocking to see the Cincinnati Bengals sign Terrell Owens.

Here are the four reasons:

1. Owens has a very influential supporter on the Bengals in the form of Chad Ochocinco. Owens and Ochocinco are very close friends and have been spending a lot of time together lately in promoting their VH1 reality TV shows. If the Bengals front-office does seriously consider signing Owens than you would have to believe that Ochocinco would lobby heavily for why they should pick him up.
2. While Ochocinco has always been keen on the idea of Terrell Owens coming to Cincinnati it now seems that quarterback Carson Palmer is warming up to idea more and more as well. Carson has been working out with Owens in California and Palmer has been impressed with what he has seen from T.O. according to sources. Reports are that Palmer has already expressed to Bengals officials how valuable Owens could be and how much talent he still has.

3. While the Bengals did pick up Antonio Bryant via free agency and chose Jordan Shipley from Texas in the NFL Draft, Cincinnati is still taking the stance that it never hurts to stockpile talent especially at a position such as wide receiver. The Bengal’s depth at the wide receiver position would not keep them from selecting Terrell Owens.

4. (This might be the most important reason why the deal could take place) Every day Terrell Owens continues to sit out on the free agent market his leverage for how much money he can ask for continues to drop. The Bengals are not in a position where they are competing with various other teams to try and sign T.O. Unless another team suddenly develops strong interest, it seems that a deal with Cincinnati is the last shot Owens could have if he wants to play in the league next season. Terrell just wants to continue to play in the league and the Bengals no doubt know that if they wanted to they could sign Terrell to a one year deal and not have to make a large investment in him.

Those are the reasons why it would not be shocking to see Terrell Owens suiting up for the Orange and Black next season. Owens’ agent Drew Rosenhaus has largely been quiet about this but did say that he thinks Owens would have a new team in “the next couple of weeks.” Drew Rosenhaus in also Chad Ochocinco’s agent for what it’s worth. Only time will tell if this happens but it would be something to see T.O. join a roster that already includes Chad Ochocinco, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Tank Johnson, and Cedric Benson.

Do you think that Terrell Owens’ possible addition to the roster would make the Bengals a better football team? Let me know what you think.

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