Terrell Owens getting left out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the last two years has been a topic of conversation, but the NFL’s No. 2 all-time receiver is also insulted that he’s not still playing.
Terrell Owens is 43 and insulted he’s not on an NFL roster
Forget the Hall of Fame. T.O. feels snubbed he’s not playing right now.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
During a radio show with Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson on AM 570 in LA, the 43-year-old said it’s a joke he’s not on an NFL roster.
“I’m gonna go a little further than that, E.D,” Owens said when Dickerson called it a joke the receiver isn’t in the Hall of Fame. “Me not being on the field right now is a joke. I don’t care what people say — even though I’m 43 — trust me I’m not your average 43-year-old.
“I can play; there’s no question about it. When you get into your 30s, people feel like you’re in a decline ... Even when I was 35, 36, 37, they said I was too old, but I was still balling out against 20-year-olds. I can go out right now and give you a 4.4 [40-yard dash] right now at 43.”
His numbers show he has a point.
Owens played the first eight years of his career with the 49ers and then spent his final seven seasons with the Cowboys, Eagles, Bengals and Bills. His last stop was in Cincinnati where he posted 72 receptions, 983 yards and nine touchdowns at age 37 during the 2010 season.
During the 2011 offseason, Owens suffered a torn ACL and was not picked up by any teams. After recovering from surgery, Owens worked out on ESPN and NFL Network, but he received no calls.
He later had a stint in the Indoor Football League and spent some of preseason with the Seahawks in 2012, but he was cut before the regular season.
Owens is third all-time in receptions (1,125), second in yards (15,934), and third in touchdowns (153). Ahead of him and in first in all three categories is Jerry Rice, a former teammate of Owens, who played until he was 42.
Now seven years removed from his last time on the field, it’s probably safe to say Owens won’t be suiting up again. But it actually might not be that crazy to think he’s still good enough to unseat a receiver from a roster spot.
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