Maybe it was the high-profile courtship of Odell Beckham Jr. that ultimately went nowhere. Maybe it was watching the previously-forgotten veteran T.Y. Hilton step in and be a highlight hero with his very first Cowboys catch. Maybe it’s simply seeing Dak Prescott put up big numbers en route to a postseason run and wanting in on the action.
But get your popcorn ready… or at least have some on standby. Because at 49 years old, Terrell Owens is apparently interested in swapping his gold jacket for a pair of shoulder pads. According to Aaron Wilson in a CowboysSI.com report, Owens, already a Hall of Famer, is ready to make a comeback as an active player, and his agent has reached out to multiple NFL teams, including the Cowboys. The response has been almost as hilarious as the thought of it all.
Ed!!!!! Hahahaha https://t.co/TEoO2CO0x3
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) December 28, 2022
Owens would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling kids. https://t.co/73Et4hAciR
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) December 28, 2022
Didn’t even notice that we checked the Terrell Owens square on Cowboys bingo. Must be the home stretch of a playoff season, we’re pulling out all the stops.
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) December 28, 2022
cowboys twitter squeezed them, hammered them to the point of desperation
and in their desperation, they turned to a man they didn't fully understand pic.twitter.com/eNmMqTziy1
— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) December 28, 2022
I heard the Cowboys have been in communication with Jerry Rice
— Jeff Cavanaugh (@timeforjeffrey) December 28, 2022
Owens’s last NFL catch came on Dec. 12 of the 2010 season as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. The club did not re-sign him for 2011.
Owens tore an ACL that following spring and was cleared to play again in October. He held a workout that month in a bid to find a new team but was unsuccessful. He signed a one-year deal with Seattle in 2012 but was released before the end of training camp.
The former third-round draft pick turned in stints in the Indoor Football League, American Flag Football League, Canadian Football League, and Fan Controlled Football venture, but maintains that he has been training- including recent workouts with DeSean Jackson- and “is in optimal condition” as he makes his latest comeback attempt.
In three seasons as a Cowboy from 2006 to 2008, Owens started 46 of 47 games, led the league in touchdowns in 2006, and went to the 2007 Pro Bowl. He caught 235 passes for 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns. He ranks 11th in franchise history in receiving yards, ninth in touchdown receptions, and seventh in targets. He is the team’s all-time leader (among qualifiers) in receiving yards per game, at 76.3.
Owens expressed dismay at his 2009 release from the Cowboys, saying then that owner Jerry Jones had assured him he’d remain with the club.
“We’ve been in constant communication with Jerry Jones’ office over the last few days about the possibility of him returning to the Cowboys,” agent Gregory D.L. Daniel said. “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.
“He most recently ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, which was his warm-up. He’s a legend. 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.”
If he were to be signed, Owens would instantly become the oldest player in NFL history. Former quarterback and kicker George Blanda retired as a 48-year-old in 1976. Tampa Bay passer Tom Brady is the league’s oldest current player at 45. All-time leading scorer kicker Adam Vinatieri was the last player in the league who had played before Brady; he retired in 2021 at 48 years old.
Cowboys offensive lineman Jason Peters is the NFL’s second-oldest player, at 40 years old. Owens had already celebrated his eighth birthday by the time Peters was born in 1982.
Owens was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and ranks as the NFL’s third-highest all-time leading receiver, with 15,934 yards. He’s also third in career receiving touchdowns with 153, just three behind Randy Moss.
A return to Dallas seems improbable. Unlikely. Absurdly unlikely, even.
But with Terrell Owens and Jerry Jones, never say never.
“He wants to win, I want to win,” Daniel said.
“Just let him prove it,” the agent added. “Just put him on the field. We can all make a lot of skeptical comments about what he can do. The reason he’s doing this is because he knows he can do this. He will never let anyone say what he has the ability to do. Leave it up to his ability and let his skills speak for themselves.”
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