Terrell Owens is officially a member of the Buffalo Bills. On Saturday, the 35-year-old receiver signed a one-year deal with the team worth $6.5 million.
Eighteen. No, that’s not Terrell Owens‘ new jersey number (although, James Hardy does wear No. 81, but that’s a different conversation) — No, eighteen is the number of teams that were publicly NOT interested in signing the former free agent receiver. The list, right up to the Bills signing, included the Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, Ravens, 49ers, Vikings, Falcons, Browns, Chargers, Eagles, Jets, Titans, Rams, Saints, Texans, Jaguars, Dolphins, Raiders and Buccaneers. That’s ridiculous! And that’s just how all eighteen of those organizations will feel come the middle of September.
Last season, as a member of the Cowboys, Owens pulled in 69 passes for 1,052 yards and 10TDs. That’s a solid season for a player no one seems to want. Owens may not be that top three fantasy wide receiver he once was, as he will be 36 in December, but we have no reason to believe, other than unforeseen injury, that the stud can’t put together yet another top 10 fantasy season in 2009. If Joey Galloway can put up 1,000+ at 36-years-old, so can Terrell!
Even with Trent Edwards tossing him the football, Owens should have no problem duplicating his 2008 stats of 1,000+ yards and 10 scores. Some of the eighteen teams probably feel the same way, that Owens still has an elite year left in his system, but those teams might just be looking to avoid the locker room headaches that so often come along with the Terrell Owens package.
Headaches or no headaches, I ask myself how is this guy not worth the risk to teams in need? I mean, this feels a lot like the Randy Moss situation back in 2007, where Moss was traded to the Patriots for a 4th-round pick. Ok, let me clarify that… No, I’m not saying that Owens is about to pull a Randy Moss, as Owens is 35 and Moss was only 30 when he was sent to New England… there is a big difference between that situation in 2007 and this one, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are a lot of similarities at play here… Most of the league did NOT realize how much Moss had left in the tank back before that New England trade… and those teams that did know Moss had a lot left obviously didn’t want to have a cancer in the locker room — little did those teams know that Moss was a 23TD-cancer! Well, like with that situation back in ‘07, I think some teams are about to look extremely foolish. I firmly believe that at least eighteen NFL teams are going to, by the middle of September, regret not going after Owens. Owens is a steal at $6.5 million on one-year and he is worth every bit of risk in the headache/locker room department. Owens will instantly make the Bills a winning football team.
| Receiving | ||||||||
| Year | Team | G | Rec | Yds | Y/G | Avg | 100 Yd | TD |
| 1999 | SF | 14 | 60 | 754 | 53.9 | 12.6 | 2 | 4 |
| 2000 | SF | 14 | 97 | 1451 | 103.6 | 15.0 | 5 | 13 |
| 2001 | SF | 16 | 93 | 1412 | 88.3 | 15.2 | 6 | 16 |
| 2002 | SF | 14 | 100 | 1300 | 92.9 | 13.0 | 5 | 13 |
| 2003 | SF | 15 | 80 | 1102 | 73.5 | 13.8 | 4 | 9 |
| 2004 | PHI | 14 | 77 | 1200 | 85.7 | 15.6 | 7 | 14 |
| 2005 | PHI | 7 | 47 | 763 | 109.0 | 16.2 | 4 | 6 |
| 2006 | DAL | 16 | 85 | 1180 | 73.8 | 13.9 | 3 | 13 |
| 2007 | DAL | 15 | 81 | 1355 | 90.3 | 16.7 | 6 | 15 |
| 2008 | DAL | 16 | 69 | 1052 | 65.8 | 15.2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2009 Projection | BUF | 15 | 67 | 1098 | 73.20 | 16.3 | 3 | 10 |
Owens is going to make the Bills a winning team. Last year, after the first game against the Jets, teams were able to double team Lee Evans and take away the Bills’ rushing attack. That won’t happen in 2009, whether it’s Marshawn Lynch doing the running or Fred Jackson — Either way, that rushing attack is going to excel in a major way this upcoming season and Owens is going to be the reason why. Congrats to Buffalo for having the guts to make this move and treat this move for exactly what it is — Business.
Thoughts? Anyone disagree? What are everyone’s thoughts on Trent Edwards from a fantasy perspective in 2009?
I think it’s a great deal for Edwards. I had him as a back up to McNabb last year and I may just keep him this year with the main reason being TO.
Well done Smitty ! Smart and deep evaluation.
Thanks, viktorz. Should be very interesting to see how Owens fits in in the first couple months.
I think this is a great deal for the Bills, since its only a 1-year deal. They dont have anything to lose. Bills could very well finish 2nd in that division with this move.
Owens got his No. 81 jersey. Things are looking good already