T.O. finally receiving serious interest, as Rams make a push for WR Posted by Anthony Stalter (07/25/2010 @ 12:00 pm) Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports that the Rams are serious about signing Terrell Owens to a contract, presumably because they want to stunt the growth of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. (Just goofin’!…Kind of.) The Rams asked Owens through his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, if he would consider a serious contract proposal, even though they are not considered a playoff contender. Rosenhaus told the team Owens would definitely consider it, sources said.
Apparently the Bengals are also still in the mix for T.O. The Cincinnati Bengals, as reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, are also engaged in talks with Owens. The Bengals signed free-agent receiver Antonio Bryant during the offseason but Bryant has struggled so far. According to a team source, that has motivated the Bengals to take another look at Owens. One source said the Rams have gotten very aggressive in their pursuit of Owens and it’s possible that Owens will sign with the Rams or Bengals within the next 48 to 72 hours. However, the Bengals still have given no indication they’re ready to offer a contract. They want to get a good look at their young wide receivers and have five preseason games to do it. They need some of those guys to play special teams. Chad Ochocinco, Bryant and Owens would not be special teams-type guys, so it’s uncertain how quickly the Bengals would react if they sensed he was about to sign with someone else.
The names listed on the Rams’ receiving depth chart aren’t going to stand out: Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, Mardy Gilyard, which is why signing T.O. makes sense on the surface. But believe it or not, all three of those wideouts still have a lot of upside and if they can stay healthy, I for one believe that St. Louis could have a solid receiving corps in 2010 and beyond. I wouldn’t view signing T.O. as a bad thing necessarily, I just don’t think it would be necessary for a team like the Rams. The Bengals, on the other hand, make more sense. There wouldn’t be much concern that T.O. would damage the team’s locker room (really, how more can it be damaged?) and Cincy has a veteran quarterback in Carson Palmer who could deal with a personality like the one Owens has. Plus, a trio of Ochocinco, T.O. and Antonio Bryant would, at the very least, be an upgrade over the unit the Bengals had last year. Not that T.O. is an elite receiver or even a great No. 2, but he could be a decent complementary piece in an improved Cincinnati passing game. Seahawks are latest team to say no to T.O. Posted by Anthony Stalter (07/20/2010 @ 9:11 am) Once again, it appears that Drew Rosenhaus might be bending the truth when it comes teams being interested in one of his clients. I know, I know – that’s surprising news. It hit me hard this morning, too. Rosenhaus said late last week that five teams had showed interested in Terrell Owens and at least one new team was acting aggressively towards signing the receiver. He also said that he was encouraged about a team signing T.O. within the next couple of weeks and reiterated that, “this isn’t just agent rhetoric.” But since making those statements, at least four teams (the Ravens, Bengals, Chargers and Seahawks) joined the Redskins, Browns and Patriots as teams that reportedly want nothing to do with T.O. Considering Owens also stated last week that he doesn’t get along with Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, you can probably cross Kansas City off his list of suitors as well. Granted, that’s only eight teams and there are 32 in the league. It’s still a possibility that Rosenhaus is telling the truth when he says that five teams are interested in T.O. and maybe the receiver will find a new home within the next couple of weeks. But it isn’t likely. The Seahawks are the latest team to say no to T.O. and they were seemingly the best fit. Who better to take on a personality like T.O. then Pete Carroll, who was on the 49ers’ staff the year they drafted Owens. Even Carroll weighed the risk versus the reward when it comes to T.O. and figured out that he wasn’t worth it. We all know Rosenhaus talks a great game, but it’s becoming clearer by the day that very few teams (if any) are interested in Owens. I still think he’ll eventually catch on somewhere, but it might take a major injury or two for a team to gather up enough gumption to pick up the phone and call Rosenhaus. Drew Rosenhaus makes me laugh Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/01/2009 @ 3:00 pm)
Agent Drew Rosenhaus wrote this on his Twitter page today: Chad OchoCinco is really on a mission. He has truly dedicated himself this offseason. He will be tougher then ever to cover this year.
Dedicated himself to what? It certainly hasn’t been his team that he’s dedicated himself to as he continues to skip Bengals’ OTA sessions. Rosenhaus’ comments come on the heels of former Bengal and current Chief Eric Giaciuc telling Kansas City’s official website that there were certain personalities in Cincinnati that caused a distraction for the rest of the team. He didn’t mention Ochocinco by name, but he didn’t have to either. Rosenhaus has to paint a rosy picture for his client, but the fact remains that nobody knows what Ochocinco is up to these days because he won’t report to any of the Bengals’ camps. If he were truly “on a mission” and “dedicating himself” this offseason, then why wouldn’t he do so while working out with his teammates? There are several athletes that choose to workout away from the team, but usually the team knows where they’re at and what they’re doing. By the looks of things, the Bengals have no idea when Ochocinco is going to show up. Rosenhaus: Three teams interested in Plax Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/28/2009 @ 10:00 am)
According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who is now a Twitter madman apparently, another identified team (there are now three according to Rosenhaus) has expressed serious interest in his client Plaxico Burress. Good news for Plaxico as a 3rd team has just expressed serious interest in signing him. I won’t identify any of the teams at their request.
Apparently the Jets and Bucs were the first two teams interested in Plax and sites like Rotoworld.com speculate that the mystery third team could be the Rams, Dolphins or Bears. Of course, there’s a very real possibility that there is no third team, especially considering sports agents are known for trying to create as much buzz about their clients as humanly possible in order to get them signed. Remember this past offseason in baseball when Scott Boras claimed that multiple teams were interested in Manny Ramirez? And it turned out there was only one team (the Dodgers) that was legitimately interested? So nobody should be shocked if it turns out that none of these teams are “seriously” interested in Burress. After all, there’s a very real possibility that he could be suspended or in jail when the season starts, so teams have to be overly cautious about even considering signing him. This Twitter site is going to fuel (or be the black angel of death depending on how you look at it) all sports rumors because agents are going to throw crap against the wall all the time just to see if it sticks. Is Rosenhaus to blame for Boldin’s situation with Cardinals? Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/27/2009 @ 8:54 am)
According to a report by the Arizona Republic, agent Drew Rosenhaus is apparently to blame for the mess that currently is Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin’s contract situation. Boldin is under contract for two more years with the Cardinals, at $2.75 million this year and $3 million in 2010, a deal Rosenhaus renegotiated in 2005. Rosenhaus pushed for a new deal, however, after the Cardinals re-signed Fitzgerald to a four-year, $40 million extension before last season. The Cardinals told Boldin they would try to oblige but first had to attend to new deals for Dansby and Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson. Boldin, under advice from Rosenhaus, demanded a trade last summer and said he would never re-sign with the Cardinals. His position softened in the ensuing months and, after helping the Cardinals reach Super Bowl XLIII, dialogue resumed about a new contract. But through it all, Boldin’s reputation took a hit, although his performance on the field never came into question. He finished the 2008 regular season with 89 receptions for 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns.
If this is true, it would make sense why Boldin plans to fire Rosenhaus and is now seeking new representation. Maybe Boldin would be willing to take a modest pay raise (whatever that entails) from the Cards, but Rosenhaus kept pushing for more. Either way, with Rosenhaus out of the way it seems like Boldin is a safe bet to stay in AZ. In fact, Boldin might even report to minicamp sometime this week as a sign of good faith to the team. |