The football world may soon find out, as T.O. recently had surgery to repair a torn ACL, according to reports.
The 37-year-old wide receiver will likely never be the elite target he once was, should he even attempt to return. But what are the odds that Owens, with his big ego and proximity to reaching second place on the league’s all-time receptions list, will decide to hang it up over a measly offseason knee injury?
Already in second place with 15,934 career receiving yards, Owens (1,078 receptions) is just 25 catches away from surpassing Marvin Harrison (1,102) for second all time behind Jerry Rice (1,549).
Agent Drew Rosenhaus isn’t about to write his client off, as he told WQAM recently that it’s “premature” to talk about retirement.
But what are the odds he can even play this fall, assuming there’s an NFL season? The free agent not only has to find a team willing to accept his off-field antics, but also a team that is willing to give him the playing time, too. Twenty-five receptions may not seem like a lot, but it’s certainly not guaranteed. Last season, Patriots wideout Brandon Tate had 24 receptions from playing in 502 of 1,012 (49.6 percent) offensive snaps. Danny Woodhead grabbed 34 receptions in 2010 in 394 of 1,012 (38.9 percent) snaps, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.
Is T.O. going to hang up his spikes or will will he return to the gridiron?
