The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the market for a new wide receiver, and Hall-of-Famer Terrell Owens is making his pitch to the team just in time for the postseason. Minutes after Antonio Brown ran off the field, Owens took to Twitter to offer his services to the Bucs.
“#PLAYOFFTO @Buccaneers,” Owens tweeted on January 2.
Owens has not played in an NFL game since 2010, when the receiver posted 72 receptions for 983 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games with the Bengals. It is unrealistic for Owens to play for the first time in more than a decade, but it is unclear how serious the former star receiver was about a potential return. When a Philadelphia sports radio station retweeted his post with laughter emojis, Owens responded by asking, “What’s so funny?”
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Owens on Being Compared to Brown: ‘No Comparison’
After Brown’s outburst, some were making a comparison between the former Buccaneers receiver and Owens. In addition to his excellence on the field, Owens is known for controversies including working out in his driveway during a media interview while suspended from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005, spitting in an opponent’s face during a game and skipping his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 to host his own celebration.
The six-time Pro Bowl playmaker was not seeing any of these similarities. Owens emphasized there was “no comparison” when a Twitter user asked who was a bigger diva.
“Wow. Respectfully and Disrespectfully, there’s no comparison,” Owens quote replied to the question. “Clearly you’ve been drinking the kool-aid.”
T.O. Was Released by the Seahawks During the 2012 Preseason
Owens attempted an NFL comeback in 2012 after missing all of 2011 season following a knee surgery. The star receiver had a brief stint with the Seattle Seahawks before being released after playing in two preseason games.
“We really liked the group that we assembled,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll explained in August 2012, per ESPN. “Terrell came in here and busted his tail and he looked really effective right from the start. But as we just took a look at our guys that are coming through the program and growing up with us we thought that it would be best for us to stay with those guys.”
The Buccaneers Have Yet to Release A.B.
While the Bucs have made it clear that Brown is no longer part of the team, Tampa Bay has yet to file the paperwork to release the receiver. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was unsure if the team would officially release Brown, or if he will go on a designated list. Brown was already slated to once again become a free agent after the season.
“Well, that’s up to [general manager Jason Licht] and what he wants to do,” Arians told reporters on January 3 when asked about the logistics of Brown no longer being on the team.
There are plenty of current and former players who would love to join the Bucs’ postseason run, but the team’s solution is most likely already on the roster. The Buccaneers are now shorthanded at receiver without Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown.
Mike Evans is playing through an injury, but one player who has already thrived with his limited reps is Cyril Grayson. Tom Brady explained why he has faith in Grayson to step up in January.
“Cyril’s really taken advantage of his opportunity and he’s made a lot of plays,” Brady explained during his January 2 press conference. “So, it’s really fun to see and just it’s good when guys get their opportunity. And I was a guy who didn’t get my opportunity ’til my second year, and a guy had to get hurt in front of me, a great great player in Drew Bledsoe.”
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Former 6-Time Pro Bowl Receiver Urges Bucs to Sign Him for Playoffs