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Terrell Owens Claims That Tom Brady Ignored His Request To Join Bucs In 2021

CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 25: Former NFL player and Hall of Famer Terrell Owens walks across the field at halftime of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on September 25, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens claimed in an interview Wednesday that he asked Tom Brady for a chance to play on the Buccaneers in 2021, only to be ignored by the eight-time Super Bowl champion. Owens was 48 at the time and has not played in the NFL since 2010.

Owens told the story about Brady on The Bubba Dub Show podcast in an episode released Wednesday. He claimed that he reached out to Brady ahead of the postseason, asking for a limited opportunity after Antonio Brown’s abrupt release.

“Tom Brady ignored me,” Owens said. “The year that AB went crazy … 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. This dude 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.”

Owens referred to Brown’s outburst, in which he left the field early during a Week 17 game against the New York Jets, as the motivation behind his request to play again. A six-time Pro Bowler, Owens never won a Super Bowl and has tried many times to re-enter the league at an advanced age.

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In 2012, Owens made his first comeback attempt when he signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. The team released him after just 20 days. He went on to play that season for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League before getting released. In 2014, he denied having retired and claimed to be training with several NFL teams in the hopes of getting another chance.

Owens was briefly in contact with teams in the Canadian Football League in 2018, but nothing ever materialized. He was last rumored to be in contact with the Dallas Cowboys and other NFL teams during the 2022 season, but no one ever signed him.

Between his age and checkered reputation off the field, Owens has repeatedly been denied a place in the NFL since his prime playing days ended. His poor behavior is also widely speculated to be a reason for his delayed induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It is not confirmed whether or not Brady truly ignored him, but if he did, he certainly would not have been the only one to do so.