T.O., Bills reach deal

by Jay Glazer and Alex Marvez, FOXSports.com

FOXSports.com was the first to report that Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus were visiting Buffalo and that the Bills were expected to offer T.O. a one-year deal.

"I'm leaving America's team (for) North America's team," Owens said at a news conference. "This may not be the most ideal place for a lot of people, but I'm the guy. I beat to my own beat sometimes, my own thinking, my own intuition."

While his prior stints in Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco all ended badly, Owens is a major upgrade for a Bills team seeking more offensive firepower. Buffalo already was rebuffed earlier this offseason in attempts to sign wide receiver Laveranues Coles (Cincinnati) and running backs Fred Taylor (New England) and Kevin Jones (Chicago).

In an email sent to FOXSports.com on Friday morning, agent Drew Rosenhaus said there were "several teams" interested in Owens and he expected "to have a deal in place by the end of next week if not sooner."

Owens finished last season with more catches (69), receiving yards (1,052) and touchdowns (10) than any player on the Bills roster. In Buffalo, Owens could draw double-teams away from Lee Evans, who in the past two seasons hasn't come close to matching his 82-catch campaign from 2006.

The Bills also can't be certain about the availability of wideout James Hardy. A 2008 second-round pick, Hardy suffered torn knee ligaments last December against the New York Jets.

The Bills were 25th in the NFL in yards gained and failed to have a 300-yard passer. The offense has been a perennial problem. It has ranked 25th or lower in each of the past six seasons.

"I must move on, and it's another beginning for me," Owens said. "If I can be that extra added piece to get them to the playoffs, then that's what I'm here for. I looked at the defensive side of ball and offensive side of the ball, and these guys have all the pieces."

Buffalo certainly needs a boost. The Bills have missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons, the longest drought in team history. The Bills are also coming off three straight 7-9 finishes under coach Dick Jauron, who was retained by the team after his three-year contract expired at the end of the season.

"Our focus is on winning football games, and the production, and everything that goes with that and that speaks for itself," said Bills GM Russ Brandon. "So just the thought of what our receiving corps looks like right now and what our offense can be with (QB) Trent Edwards, is really exciting for all of us."

"I am really excited about the addition of Terrell Owens to our team," Edwards, the neophyte starter, said. "We spoke earlier and both look forward to working hard this offseason. We share the common goal of winning football games. His ability and experience will add to our offense and the weapons we already have."

But while the Owens signing makes sense on many levels, history has shown there are major risks involved whenever Owens is added to a roster.

It's believed most — if not all — of the other teams in the market for a veteran wide receiver shied away from Owens because of his reputation as a selfish player and derisive locker room presence. Owens previously squabbled with veteran quarterbacks like Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, so it's questionable how well he would handle any growing pains being experienced in 2009 by Edwards.

Owens responded to the criticism at the press conference.

"That's all hearsay," Owens said. "If you look at all of the comments that have come from all of my teammates with the Cowboys, it's all been positive. Prior to that, I can't really ... I don't really want to get into it. I'll let my teammates speak highly and I think they have done that. They've spoken and they speak loudly as to what transpired."

Another cloud of doubt enshrouding Owens: Is he is still an elite wide receiver or a player quickly on the decline like 30-something peers Marvin Harrison, Amani Toomer and Joey Galloway were in 2008? While he is coming off his eight 1,000-yard receiving campaigns in the past nine years, Owens turns 36 in December and did drop 33 passes in 2008.

Owens is among the most productive wide receivers in NFL history. He has 951 catches for 14,122 yards and 39 touchdowns in a 13-year NFL career.

The Cowboys cut him Thursday after three seasons. While his on-field performances were quite good, his behavior off the field — and sometimes on the sideline and in the huddle — made Owens too much of a distraction for team owner Jerry Jones.

"In the aftermath of the season, we talked about change," Jones said in a statement. "Some of what is changing involves the process and some of it involves people. This is a decision that was made based upon consideration for an entire team.

"We will move on now with a new team — a new attitude — and into a new stadium. The evaluation process and the prospect for change will continue at every level of the organization."

"I enjoyed having the opportunity to coach Terrell Owens, and I appreciate his contributions to our team over the past two years," added coach Wade Phillips, who wasn't around during T.O.'s first season in Dallas, in a press release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.