The injury riddled New England Patriots have one free agent player interested in coming aboard to help the team out, and that player is 39-year-old Terrell Owens, who recently said he would love to play for the Patriots if he was asked.
The Boston Globe reported Wednesday through an interview with Owens that the wide receiver is ready and willing to join the Patriots as soon as he would receive a phone call, but nothing is planned.
"Obviously the situation with the Patriots, they are starting out with a lot of new guys," Owens told The Boston Globe. "You never know how management is thinking, what their process is as far as bringing in veterans."
Owens told the newspaper he doesn't watch many games anymore but is training rigorously for a possible return to the gridiron.
Owens last played in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 during a campaign that saw him play 14 games and record 72 receptions for 983 yards and nine touchdowns, and though his career has been filled with some controversy, the receiver insists that at age 39 he's grown up and is a different person, and that he's still in great shape.
"I understand they may look at my age as an issue but I'm not your average 39-year-old," Owens said per The Boston Globe. "I think if you watch me work out, I'm not really concerned about injuries or anything like that. Plus, I'll be getting paid the vet minimum, so it's not like I am asking for any extra incentive in my contract. I know that there's some character issues that teams are worried about that's understandably noted, but I am a different person than I was 10 years ago."
A move for Owens could make sense for the Patriots with tight end Rob Gronkowski listed as 50-50 for this Sunday's home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and wide receiver Danny Amendola out for at least a month with a groin injury. Add the fact that running back Shane Vereen is on the injured reserve after wrist surgery, the move may not be out of the realm of possibility.
The Patriots are 2-0, but it hasn't been easy on quarterback Tom Brady, who is surrounded by rookies while his regular teammates recover from various injuries.
Brady was visibly frustrated in the team's Week 2 13-10 victory over the New York Jets last Thursday at home due to the team dropping passes and running the wrong routes. Brady is throwing to three rookie wide receivers and an undrafted tight end. The signal caller finished with a completion rating of less than 50 percent last week and Owens may give the team a veteran presence and Brady an option to throw to when his current inexperienced receivers fail him.
Despite the fact that the Pats are banged up, it's most likely a long-shot that they'd pursue an aging receiver like Owens, but it remains a possibility for now especially since Brady and Owens worked out together in the past.
Owens had a 15-year career in the NFL and played 219 games while netting 1,078 receptions for 15,934 yards and scoring 153 touchdowns. Owens is a six-time Pro Bowler.
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