Forget his reputation as a team destroyer. I really believe that the impact of his personality is minimal here. Certainly, his history of being a me-first guy would scare some teams away. But, more often than not people are willing to completely look past those character flaws if you have the kind of talent that Terrell Owens does.
I am living proof of this phenomenon, as I sit here hoping that somehow Plaxico Burress will get off on his gun possession charges so that I can get back to the good old days when he would show up late to practice, skip workouts, and butt heads with the coaching staff and front office on a regular basis. I should not want him anywhere near the Giants training facility. But I do, because what he does on Sunday afternoon totally makes up for his behavior during the rest of the week (accidental self-inflicted gunshot wounds included).
Historically, Owens has been able to draw suitors regardless of what he might have done to tear apart his previous locker rooms. Someone was always willing to give him another shot. He makes his team better on the field. Nobody can dispute that. You can't coach height and you can't coach speed. That's what they say about guys like this, and it's true. Unfortunately for TO, you also can't coach youth, and that is why the 35 year old receiver has very little leverage in this situation.
The kind of contract that TO will be looking for is typically backloaded pretty heavily. I can see a team dumping a lot of money into TO for one season, but Drew Rosenhaus will no doubt be trying to get his volatile client something more long term. But, if you're a GM, how in the world can you justify pledging a large sum of money to a 37 or 38 year old Terrell Owens? I know the guy is a freak, but all the hyperbaric chambers in the world won't keep his speed from diminishing as he approaches 40. And, as his skills diminish, so to will his role in the offense. And then....once his physical skills are less of a factor.....his personality suddenly seems so much more important. This is not a guy who is going to be willing to take a lesser role for the team, and he's certainly not the kind of guy (a la Vinny Testaverde or Sam Madison) that you bring in to help mentor your younger players. There is just nothing positive that an almost 40 year old TO can bring to your franchise.
This whole thing reminds me of the Manny negotiations in a way. Teams will be happy to pay big bucks in the short term, but are going to be hesitant to fork over long term money. Drew Rosenhaus (like Scott Boras) will drag it out because he will be completely unwilling to accept any reasonable offer (which I have no problem with. These two are very good at their jobs). In the end, TO will end up settling for something less than he wanted and more than what he really should be getting. And, because teams already know that they either want a happy and motivated TO or no TO at all, they are not even going to bother entering the sweepstakes.
There are really only three teams stupid enough(yes, I have a group of smart teams and dumb teams) to pay TO the way he might want. The first one just cut him. So I guess they're out.
The second is the Raiders. Al Davis has no fucking idea what's going on in terms of the cap, and he clearly has no concept of how age can affect one's performance at work. It's hard for me to believe they have cap room to make this happen after all the contracts they took on last season, but if he wants it bad enough, it can happen. All he has to do is give the order. People will make cap space or heads will roll. He's just crazy enough to do it. He loves players with character issues. He loves the long bomb down the field and refuses to incorporate the principles of the West Coast offense into his team's offensive system. TO would be a nice fit here.
The third is the Redskins. Nothing they do ever makes football sense (except signing Albert Haynesworth. I'm surprised they knew that was a good idea). It's all about increasing ticket sales. They also have a long and well-documented history (at least over the past 8-10 years) of dishing out huge amounts of money for old veterans that are clearly past their prime. It started with Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders is probably the most memorable, and most recently it was Jason Taylor. TO could be the next link in the long line of washed up veterans to receive handouts from Dan Snyder.
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