Terrell Owens says Tom Brady disrespected him by ignoring his comeback offer
BOSTON -- Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens wanted to come out of retirement and help Tom Brady win another Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. But according to Owens, an "arrogant" Brady ignored his offer, something the former receiver still holds against the quarterback.
Owens was 48 at the time and hadn't played since the 2010 NFL season. He officially retired from football in 2012 when he was cut by the Seahawks during training camp. But he was eager to get back into the game, and when he saw Antonio Brown have an on-field meltdown in Week 17 of the 2021 season -- which led to the Bucs cutting ties with the problematic receiver -- Owens saw an opportunity.
But when Owens reached out to Brady about potentially pairing up, he says the quarterback gave him the cold shoulder. Over two years later, Owens is still bitter about being shunned by Brady.
He vented his frustrations during an appearance on The Bubba Dub Show. (The Brady comments start around the 39-minute mark.)
"Tom Brady ignored me," said Owens. "It was at the end of the season. I didn't need to play a full season, and they just needed somebody to fill some holes with AB leaving at the receiver position. I reached out to him through Randy [Moss] and some other people, just to come in and play third down and red zone situations. You know this dude really ignored me. It just shows you the lack of respect there, but then when they get in front of you they want to act like they respect you.
The Bucs were the defending Super Bowl champs and beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round, but fell to the L.A. Rams in the Divisional Round, 30-27. Owens believes he would have been the difference between the Bucs being eliminated early and going back-to-back.
"It shows you how arrogance comes into play. ... Tom Brady could have made that happen," he said. "Me understanding the game, understanding how to play with a future Hall of Famer in Tom Brady and trying to add to what they already had. They had just won the Super Bowl. Honestly, he could have had his eighth Super Bowl."
But Owens said that Brady believed he could win another ring without any help.
"I guarantee he thought he could win it without AB," said Owens. "This is the year the Rams won the Super Bowl. They were getting mollywhopped in the first half and they ended up coming back to make the game close. But they came up short. That's where I would have added value to at least help win that game, and then he's on a path to win an eighth Super Bowl.
"He knew I could have possibly helped him. But it is what it is, bro," added Owens.
It's easy to see why Brady didn't take Owens' offer seriously, and it probably didn't have anything to do with respect. Again, Owens was 48 at the time and hadn't played in the league in over a decade. Now he wanted to come back and join a new team and learn a new offense on the fly -- in the playoffs. Even if the Bucs did have Owens in for a workout, chances are he wouldn't have made the team.
But Owens does not see it that way.
"If he really wanted me, he could have made that happen," said Owens.