Bengals Sign Terrell Owens

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 11:00

After a year away from the sport, ‘T.O.’ is back in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals have signed Terrell Owens to a two year deal, $2 million deal that will unite the talented but troublesome wide receiver with his close friend Chad Ochocinco. The deal also offers up to $2 million in bonus money if Owens reaches certain statistical incentive levels. Owens had interest from several teams, but the Bengals were his first choice due to his friendship with Ochocinco who has already dubbed the duo ‘Batman and Robin’.

When Owens has his ‘head in the game’ there are few receivers in the game that can match his level of ability. Hoping to provide motivation, the Bengals structured the incentive component of the contact to provide a lucrative payday for Owens if he plays to his abilities. Owens could earn $333,000 each for the following: 60 catches, 100 catches, 900 receiving yards, 1,300 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns and 14 touchdowns.

Owens is expected to join the team for pre training camp workouts on Thursday. His new teammate Ochocinco, never at a loss for words, took to his Twitter account to express his pleasure at the signing:

"Ocho Uno is coming 2 town!! Hey Robin, Batman will b there soon!" He's expected to sign his deal when he arrives in Georgetown.”

He also joked:

"All of our games have been moved to pay-per-view, you got to pay to see this."

T.O.’s agent Drew Rosenhaus indicated that quarterback Carson Palmer was instrumental in bringing the deal together:

"He and Chad are going to do some great things with Carson. Carson Palmer had a lot to do with this deal coming together."

"The Bengals have always been the front-runner. Even though I talked to some other teams during this process, the Bengals have always been the team that showed the most interest. Terrell has always been excited about them."

Bengals owner Mike Brown dismissed concerns about Owens’ ‘baggage’:

"Yes, people can make mistakes. It doesn't mean that they go on the rest of their lives making mistakes. They can get their ship pointed in the right direction. This is a 36-year-old man. He's been through a lot. He's proven as a player and as a person."

The question now becomes how much does Owens have left at his age? He’s always been one of the best conditioned athletes in the sport, so from a physical standpoint he should be fine. A bigger question is his ability to maintain the focus and intensity to compete at the highest level in the NFL.

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Bengals Sign Terrell Owens

Bengals Sign Terrell Owens

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