Getty Terrell Owens celebrates a play in a Buffalo Bills game.
More than a decade after he last suited up in the NFL, Terrell Owens is ready for a comeback.
The former Buffalo Bills wide receiver is reportedly in talks with the Dallas Cowboys about playing this season, an idea that the now 49-year-old has flirted with several times over the course of the last few years. Owens’ agent confirmed the comeback attempt, saying the Hall of Famer is still in playing shape and ready to contribute.
Owens Aiming to Play This Season
Owens’ agent, Gregory D.L Daniel, confirmed that the wide receiver has been in talks with the Cowboys about the prospect of joining them this season. Daniel added that Owens has been staying in shape and working out with DeSean Jackson, who also made an NFL comeback this season.
“We’ve been in constant communication with Jerry Jones’ office over the last few days about the possibility of him returning to the Cowboys,” Daniel said, via SI.com’s Cowboys Country. “Terrell is ready to contribute and play any role, big or small. He’s in outstanding shape. He looks no different than he did years ago. I watched him running routes full-speed with DeSean and he looked great. He didn’t drop a pass.”
Owens may need to find another team to complete his NFL comeback, however. Jane Slater of the NFL Network reported that she spoke to Jones, and said the reunion was “not happening.”
The report noted that Owens would become the oldest player in NFL history, surpassing quarterback and kicker George Blanda who retired at the age of 48. Despite his advanced age — especially at the wide receiver position, where Jerry Rice is the only other player in league history to have any meaningful contributions after age 40 — Daniels said Owens is ready to make real contributions to a team.
“He most recently ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, which was his warm-up. He’s a legend,” Daniel said. “We want to make history and see him break these records. If anybody can do it, it’s him. His three Ds are desire, dedication and discipline. He embodies that every day, even running hills at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning.”
Owens last played in the NFL in the 2010 season, making 72 catches for 983 yards with nine touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bengals. He played the previous season with the Bills, making 55 catches for 829 yards with five touchdowns on a team that went 6-10.
Though he played in Buffalo for just one season, Owens remained popular with fans and on good terms with the team. Last year, the Bills brought him back to serve as the “Bills Legend of the Game” for a Monday Night Football matchup against the New England Patriots.
Get your popcorn ready. 🍿
@TerrellOwens is returning to @HighmarkStadm for MNF as our Bills Legend of the Game: t.co/DAHLkZUo55
Comeback Hopes
Owens has spoken regularly about his desire to return to the NFL, and played last season in the inaugural season of the Fan Controlled Football league, a 7-on-7 indoor league that allowed fans to pick up play-calling duties. Owens caught a touchdown in his first game with the FCF Zappers.
According to his agent, NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens is looking to make a return to the NFL, possibly with the Cowboys 👀
At age 49, he would be the oldest player ever to play in the league.
Do you think TO still has some juice left?
Owens said he hoped his performance would show critics that he still had a lot left in the tank.
“For all the naysayers, you got all the analysts, so-called experts that say that once you get 32, 33, 34, 35, you are too old to play the game,” Owens told NBCLX. “That’s not the case for me. To see and do what I’m doing, I’ve been doing it for four weeks straight.”