Plenty of players decided to join Tom Brady when he signed with the Buccaneers in 2020. Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to win a Super Bowl with his former Patriots teammate, and the team also added Leonard Fournette and Antonio Brown. Another player who expressed interest in playing with Brady in Tampa was Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens. In a recent interview on the “Bubba Dub Show,” Owens revealed that he reached out to Brady in 2021 to offer his services for the playoffs, but Brady did not respond.
Owens mentioned that he tried to get in touch with Brady through Randy Moss and other contacts to potentially fill in the gaps left by Antonio Brown’s departure. Despite his efforts, Brady did not acknowledge Owens’ request. Owens expressed his disappointment, highlighting what he perceived as a lack of respect in the situation. He felt that Brady and the Buccaneers wanted to portray respect when face-to-face, but their actions did not reflect that sentiment.
During the season Owens contacted Brady, Antonio Brown caused a stir by abruptly leaving the field during a game against the New York Jets, effectively ending his NFL career. The Buccaneers managed to clinch the NFC South title that year but fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs.
At the time of his attempted comeback, Owens was 48 years old. While his proposal to join the Buccaneers for the postseason did not materialize, Owens did participate in the Fan Controlled Football league in 2022. Imagining the third-ranked receiver in all-time receiving yards suiting up for Tampa Bay in the playoffs would have been intriguing, but the outcome was not surprising given the circumstances.