Various sources have reported that future Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens has signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. Owens, who is one season removed from playing in the league, had been trying to catch on with a team for quite some time now.
Pete Carroll and Co. have given the enigmatic wide receiver one final chance at the age of 39. He joins a receiving group that already consists of veteran castoff Braylon Edwards, up-and-coming Doug Baldwin, and injury-riddled Sidney Rice. Former second-round pick Golden Tate is also going to look to make an impact.
It will be interesting to say the least.
Does this signing has any type of fantasy impact? It might as well be a stated fact that Owens is a good six seasons removed from being a WR1 in fantasy football, even then many people strayed away from No. 81 because of his enigmatic presence both on and off the field. That being said, there is one important thing to note. Owens has not had major character issues since he left the Dallas Cowboys following the 2008 season. He was pretty quite in both of his stops since.
The major question as it relates to Owens is his age and whose going to be throwing him the ball in 2012. Owens will be turning 39 towards the end of the season, but does seem to still possess the speed and ability to be an impact player. ESPN reported that Owens ran a 4.5 40-yard dash in his workout in the Pacific Northwest before coming to an agreement with Seattle. That is mighty impressive.
Owens has not recorded a 1,000 yard season since his final season with the Cowboys in 2008. He was on pace to break that coveted plateau for the 10th time in his career in 2010 before missing the final two games with the Cincinnati Bengals due to injury. In total, Owens recorded 72 receptions for 983 yards and a surprising nine touchdowns in 2010, his last season appearing in a NFL game.
However, Owens struggled in regards to making a consistent impact. He caught less than 55 percent of the passes thrown in his direction that season, and is at about 53 percent since 2008. This might be magnified coming to a team without a proven starting quarterback and a ton of receiving options on the outside. After all, those numbers were put up with the likes of Carson Palmer and Tony Romo, among others, throwing him the ball. It's hard to imagine Tarvaris Jackson, Russell Wilson or likely starter Matt Flynn providing that same type of consistent quarterback play for Owens in 2012.
Something to the tune of 50 receptions for 650 yards and five touchdowns seems likely for Owens in Seattle should he make the 53 man roster out of camp. This means that he could be a solid waiver-wire pickup at some point in the season.
The larger effect on Seattle signing Owens could be other receivers on their team. They have Kellen Winslow Jr and Zach Miller at the tight end position, both of whom will be relied on a great deal between the hashes. They're already going to take touches away from the group of receivers that Seattle has on its roster. Couple that with the presence of Marshawn Lynch in the backfield and you have to wonder how many Hawk' receivers are going to make any sort of fantasy impact.
In short, the Owens signing might push Rice, Baldwin and Tate down to the scrapheap of waiver-wire pickups mid-season, if they weren't their in the first place.