By now everyone knows the news of the day: WR Terrell Owens suffered a torn ACL, had surgery on it in the last month and is expected to miss six months which will keep him out until late November. At 37 years old, though, it’s fair to wonder whether T.O. will come back in 2011 at all and whether he’ll ever play in the NFL again.
Terrell Owens Injury And Whether He’s Done In NFL
On whether he’ll return in 2011, I would highly doubt it. If he is ready to play in late November as ESPN’s report suggests, the season would be three quarters of the way over and I can’t imagine any team that’s contending would risk upsetting the chemistry in the locker by adding T.O. With him, it’s not just about talent (which he has plenty of). It’s about the off-the-field attention that comes with him. That and he’s turning 38 years old in the first week of December. I can’t envision a scenario where a team brings him on in 2011.
On whether he’ll ever return to the NFL, I would guess he does not. Assuming he doesn’t play in 2011 at all, Owens wouldn’t play a game from December 2010 to September 2012. That’s a looong stretch for anyone, let alone someone who is nearing 40 years old.
So I would cautiously predict that we've seen the last of Owens. What has me wondering about his future is that in the past he's shown a fairly incredible ability to return from injuries. He broke his leg and sprained his ankle in mid-December and return to the Super Bowl just over a month later while with the Eagles.
It’ll be interesting to hear straight from Owens on this. While I don’t think he’ll play, I wouldn’t completely rule it out if he claims he’ll be coming back.
See More:
