Toronto Argonauts: Should they sign Terrell Owens?
By Paul Taylor
With the Edmonton Eskimos releasing Terrell Owens from their negotiation list, should the Toronto Argonauts step in and offer him a contract?
If you had the chance to sign a five-time NFL First-team All-Pro headed to the Football Hall of Fame, would you take it? In theory, this is the exact situation the Toronto Argonauts find themselves in.
As reported by the Canadian Press, the Edmonton Eskimos released Terrell Owens from their negotiation list on Friday. As a result, this now leaves him free to sign with any other CFL team, including the Argonauts.
However, this is where the theory goes out of the window and you now have to enter reality. In other words, should the Double Blue sign Owens?
There’s no denying the 44-year-old is one of the very best wide receivers in NFL history. In addition, he still appears to be in excellent shape, as evidenced by running a 4.43-second 40-yard dash earlier this year.
On the flip side, there is no getting around the fact that Owens’ age is an issue. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2010, when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Then, there’s the not so small matter of the six-time NFL Pro Bowler’s attitude. Controversy has followed him throughout his playing career, with him often falling out with teammates and displaying a selfish attitude.
And in truth, this selfish attitude has been on display once again in recent months. After being announced as part of the 2018 Hall of Fame class, Owens declared he would not attend the enshrinement ceremony in Canton, Ohio.
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It is true the Argonauts could use some help at the wide receiver position. Their only wideout of real quality is S.J. Green and even he is not among the receiving leaders this season, albeit in large part due to the season/career-ending injury to Ricky Ray.
The Argos have been down a similar road before, when they signed former running back Ricky Williams in 2006. However, the big difference was Williams was still active, having been suspended for one year by the NFL, for violating their substance abuse policy.
There is no denying Owens would bring a lot of attention for the Argonauts. However, they need to ask themselves if the juice is worth the squeeze, and the answer is probably no.
Regardless, Jason Staroszik, the Edmonton-based agent handling Owens’ CFL negotiations, is optimistic his client will sign somewhere. As reported by the Canadian Press, Staroszik said:
"“It’s definitely not over. Terrell could still sign as a free agent with any team that’s interested. We might see another team put him on their negotiation list. Hopefully there’s another team with an interest, I feel there is, so we’ll see what happens.”"
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What would you do if you were in the Toronto Argonauts’ position? Offer Owens a contract, or steer clear of him? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.