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Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday the team isn't going to trade disgruntled cornerback Mike Jenkins. We didn't post on it here because we already knew this. Everybody already knew it. Even Jenkins, though he's let it be known he's unhappy with his contract and his new role as the team's No. 3 cornerback and would like to be traded, probably knew it too. He'd have to be blind not to.

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Coop and Nate discuss Jerry Jones' comments about the window closing on the Cowboys' championship hopes. Listen

Jenkins isn't making so much money that the Cowboys would want to dump him like the Eagles did with Asante Samuel. He's too good for them to trade for a late-round draft pick and not quite good enough to convince a team to offer an early-round pick. The result is that the team, as it tends to in NFL contract situations, holds all of the cards and is required to make no move at all in response to Jenkins' decision to skip offseason workouts. If he wants to stay home, he stays home. If he wants to skip mandatory workouts next month or part of training camp, they can fine him. If he wanted to sit out a whole season, they'd just run Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and Orlando Scandrick out there and take their chances. They're better with Jenkins in that mix and would like to have him, but they're not desperate enough to even consider granting him his wish.

Jenkins finds himself in NFL contract limbo, and if he's looking for a sympathetic shoulder on which to cry he doesn't even have to look outside his own division. The New York Giants' Osi Umenyiora is basically in the same situation -- he's unhappy with his contract, he isn't thrilled to be the No. 3 defensive end on his team, and he would rather play elsewhere. But he isn't getting traded either, because (stop me if this sounds familiar) he's affordable, he's too good to trade for peanuts, and he isn't going to bring back a first-round or second-round pick in a deal. The Giants are better off keeping an unhappy Umenyiora around than trading him for pennies on the dollar. It's the decision they made when he raised the same fuss a year ago, and they got 12.5 sacks out of him in 13 games (counting postseason) for their patience.

If either Jenkins or Umenyiora really wanted to push this, there are two somewhat extreme ways they could go. The first is that they could sit out the meaningful stuff, like training camp and regular-season games. If they prove that they're willing to do that, then circumstances could, theoretically, improve their leverage. Say Jenkins is sitting at home in late August and Claiborne gets hurt, or Umenyiora is sitting at home Week 2 and Justin Tuck gets hurt. In cases like those, the need for the player may become great enough to warrant a new deal. But that's a big risk to take because injuries are unpredictable, and in the meantime the player has allowed the team the chance to get used to life without him.

The second option in this case is to make a nuisance of yourself -- to show up, but put your contract situation into the spotlight in an annoying and disruptive way. The all-time visual symbol of this may well be Terrell Owens doing pushups in his driveway. Jenkins or Umenyiora could choose to simply continue being a pain, in the hope that the annoyance might prod the team into trading him for less than they think he's worth. But this carries risk, as well -- the basic one being the risk of giving the outside world (and potential future employers) reason to believe you're a jerk.

The Giants don't fear this from Umenyiora, because they trust their coaching staff and their veteran locker room to effectively ignore potential disruptions. And the Cowboys know Jenkins, and I think they're betting on the idea that he's not the pushups-in-the-driveway sort.

What these guys are doing now -- skipping voluntary workouts and letting it be known through third-party sources that they're upset -- is the simplest way to make their particular point. It costs them nothing right now to stand up for themselves, and they should.

If you're unhappy at work and you feel your bosses aren't treating you fairly, it's important to find a proper and effective way to let them know. That goes for you, me, NFL players and everyone else. But in the end, in the cases of Jenkins and Umenyiora, there's not going to be anything either one can do.

This is the nature of their profession, and the working conditions under which NFL players operate. It's not fair, because teams can end contracts on a whim and the risk of injury is incredibly high, but a history of players crossing picket lines and caving in on labor negotiations has constructed a system in which the teams hold all the cards and the player rarely finds himself in the position of strength. Unfortunately for NFL players, this isn't Major League Baseball.

Jenkins and Umenyiora are both eligible to be free agents next year, and I don't think either has to fear the franchise-player designation. The franchise numbers for cornerbacks and defensive ends are over $10 million, and it's unlikely that either the Cowboys or Giants would want to commit so much to their No. 3 player at those positions.

It's too far into the future to predict for certain, but the odds are they won't be in limbo again this time next year. Right now, all these guys can do is decide how much fine money (if any) they're willing to spend to make their point, and once they reach that number, show up, practice, hope they don't get hurt and play well enough to convince some other team to give them big contracts in 2013.

It may not be great. May not be fair. But for Jenkins, Umenyiora and so many others like them in the NFL, they unfortunately don't have much choice.

Terrell Owens comments on Junior Seau's suicide, discusses the backlash from his remarks about Tony Romo and more.



On Junior Seau's suicide:

"Nobody knows what I go through, day in and day out, to be a successful player, to help my team be successful. I want to leave out on a high note, too. We just lost an icon in the football world with Junior Seau. Nobody knew what he was going through. Last night I was up late going through my Twitter and I saw the interview with Marcellus Wiley who was a great, dear friend of Junior. Nobody knew, nobody knows what people go through, man. It's unexplainable.

"My heart goes out to his family, dude. I went through it dude, I saw his mom's interview. Dude, that's gut-wrenching to know a mom has to go through that. Honestly dude, I've been in that situation where you do feel like giving up because nobody understands the world that you live in.

"I think there's a lot of people that have been at that point. Me, other players. People look at us as invincible beings when we're playing such a macho game. A game that we play as kids but we're playing as grown men. And nobody understands that. Who knows what Junior was going through. Who knows."

They say a divorce is hard to overcome, and Terrell Owens' split from the Dallas Cowboys, which happened over a late-night dinner in South Florida in the spring of 2009, is still bothering him.

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Allen Wranglers WR Terrell Owens reflects on his relationship with Cowboys QB Tony Romo, assesses the status of his NFL comeback bid and more. Listen

I don't believe anyone at Valley Ranch misses Owens' antics. Yet here's Owens talking about Tony Romo on Friday morning, saying the quarterback played a role in his departure from the Cowboys.

"With that situation, dude, I’ve kind of lost my respect for that situation,” Owens told ESPN Dallas 103.3's "Ben and Skin Show." "Man, that’s a guy I shed tears for, I went to bat for. Then obviously, ultimately I’m not in Dallas anymore and I know he definitely had a hand in that. So, again, it’s one of those things that you kind of just have to bite your tongue and keep moving on, you know what I mean?"

Owens did cry for Romo. I was standing right there when the tears seeped through his sun glasses. But Owens needs to move on. He was answering a word-association question about Romo on Friday. That's fine, but Owens should take the high road.

He's trying to get back in the NFL, something I doubt will happen. He's not really dominating that arena league he's in, so his focus should remain there.

He's in great shape and runs fast and shows his quickness. But NFL teams are done with Owens. He should be done with Romo, too.

If he thinks Romo played a part in getting rid of him, big deal. There's no proof of this. In the past, Owens said Jerry Jones made promises about his expected return for the 2009 season.

I would say Jones wanted Owens to return but changed his mind. That's his right, he's the owner/general manager of the franchise. Here's another thought: Stephen Jones, the executive vice president and No. 2 man in the organization, was able to get his dad to rid the franchise of Owens.

Not sure if this is true either. But whatever happened in terms of the decision to release Owens was the right one.

After the 2008 season, the Cowboys' locker room was a mess. Changes were needed.

Wade Phillips said he needed to make a change in how he handled the team and he was rewarded with a NFC East title and a playoff win, the first in over a decade.

Times changed and Phillips is no longer the Cowboys' head coach -- he's the defensive coordinator in Houston. Romo has matured and Owens, well, he's still being Owens.

He just needs to let it go.

The boys on the ESPN Dallas 103.3’s “Ben and Skin Show,” fresh off their Thursday interview with Tony Romo, tried to recreate some warm, fuzzy feelings with Romo’s most famous former receiver.

PODCAST
Allen Wranglers WR Terrell Owens reflects on his relationship with Cowboys QB Tony Romo, assesses the status of his NFL comeback bid and more. Listen

They played a little word association during their weekly segment with Allen Wranglers receiver/co-owner Terrell Owens, who momentarily didn’t have much to say when Romo’s name was mentioned.

“OK, uh, next question,” T.O. said.

Really? That’s it?

Of course that wasn’t it. It didn’t take much prodding for T.O. to do what he does best: rip one of his quarterbacks.

“With that situation, dude, I’ve kind of lost my respect for that situation,” T.O. said. “Man, that’s a guy I shed tears for, I went to bat for. Then obviously, ultimately I’m not in Dallas anymore and I know he definitely had a hand in that. So, again, it’s one of those things that you kind of just have to bite your tongue and keep moving on, you know what I mean?”

Romo’s desire to get rid of T.O. might have had something to do with the former Pro Bowl receiver, who was the most popular man in the Valley Ranch locker room at the time, trying to turn most of the team against the quarterback in 2008. T.O. openly whined about Romo throwing too many balls to best buddy Jason Witten, leading a parade of receivers into Jason Garrett’s office to complain about the issue.

“I just happened to be one of those guys that really voiced my opinion,” T.O. said. “I wasn’t the only one who thought that way. There were games that other guys were open. I wasn’t saying that to get the ball thrown to me a lot more times. I wasn’t saying that to get the ball thrown to me a lot more times. I was all about winning. During the course of games and if you watch the film, there were other guys that were open that didn’t get the ball. That was my thing.

“I think that’s what’s really misconstrued is that my passion and things that I say can be viewed that I’m being selfish and it’s all about me, but my goal has always been about winning a championship. I think if you really ask my teammates that they’ll really convey that and they’ll tell you honestly that’s what I’m about.”

Not if you ask his ex-quarterback. Sniff, sniff.

No. 3 wide receiver Laurent Robinson is visiting Jacksonville today and has interest from San Diego and Arizona. Miami also has a desire for Robinson, though no official visits have been planned for the Cowboys' best receiver in 2011.

Robinson hasn't ruled out returning to the Cowboys, but with the contracts being distributed to several other free-agent wide receivers, it appears he won't come back.

If Robinson signs elsewhere, the Cowboys have mild interest in veteran wideouts Early Doucet, Jerheme Urban and Devin Thomas. However, nothing has been finalized in terms of scheduling visits with these wideouts or someone one else on the market.

The Cowboys like their current young corps of receivers: Dwayne Harris, Andre Holmes and the return of an injured Raymond Radway (remember him?).

There are some other veteran wide receivers such as Roscoe Parrish, Derek Hagan, Eddie Royal, Michael Spurlock, Steve Smith and Anthony Gonzalez who could be a solid backup to Dez Bryant and Miles Austin.

If you're wondering about Patrick Crayton, he's on the market too but the Cowboys are not planning on bringing him back. Roy Williams? Forget about that, too.

Don't even ask about Terrell Owens or Hines Ward.

Cowboys are looking for a veteran but are not stressed about it.

Four years later, the Cowboys have nothing to show for all the cash they threw around during 2008.

Jerry Jones went on a re-signing spree that offseason, making major commitments to receiver Terrell Owens, running back Marion Barber, left tackle Flozell Adams, safety Ken Hamlin and cornerback Terence Newman. He gave receiver Roy Williams a rich extension after trading for him later that season.

The Cowboys cut ties with the last of those guys Tuesday, releasing Newman in a move that was about as surprising as opponents picking on him while the Cowboys lost four of their last five games.

Half of the Cowboys who cashed huge signing bonus checks from the Cowboys in ’08 weren’t even in the league last season. Barber and Williams were role players for the Bears, and Newman struggled as the Cowboys’ starting left cornerback.

T.O. was the first of the group to go from Valley Ranch. He got the pink slip – er, white tablecloth – after one controversy-packed, chemistry-killing season of his four-year, $34 million extension that included a $12.9 million signing bonus.

The Cowboys cut Adams and Hamlin two seasons into their six-year deals. Adams got $15 million guaranteed on a $43 million contract. Hamlin got a $9 million signing bonus on a $39 million contract. The Cowboys got an oft-penalized tackle and a non-playmaking safety.

Barber and Williams played three nonproductive seasons for the Cowboys after getting their rich contracts. Barber’s seven-year, $45 million deal included $16 million guaranteed. About half of Williams’ six-year, $54 million deal, which he signed before playing a down for the Cowboys, was guaranteed.

Newman played four seasons of his six-year, $50.2 million deal, which included $22.5 million guaranteed. He struggled much of the last two seasons, but Newman was still the best buy of the Cowboys’ ’08 shopping spree.

IRVING, Texas – At 3:01 p.m. Tuesday, free agency begins.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has promised to be aggressive in pursuit of upgrading a roster that has missed the playoffs the last two seasons and three of the last four.

In order to do so, the Cowboys will have to re-work some contracts to create enough room under the $120.6 million salary cap, but it is feasible the team can add two starters and a veteran backup quarterback and re-sign wide receiver Laurent Robinson.

As the shopping hour approaches, here are some quick questions and answers:

** What are the Cowboys biggest needs?

We’ve talked about this all offseason, but they need help in the secondary (cornerback and safety) and on the interior of the offensive line. They also need a backup quarterback with Jon Kitna’s retirement, and those don’t come too cheaply. They could use a difference maker at defensive end, but those players aren’t flying around free agency. While the Cowboys like Bruce Carter, there is no way to be sold he is their starting inside linebacker next to Sean Lee in 2012. Add inside linebacker to the list. Also add a backup tight end. The goal of free agency should be to fill enough holes to help make the draft process better so you don’t overvalue certain positions in April.

** What to make of the Mario Williams talk?

I just don’t see that happening. In order to sign Williams, the Cowboys would likely have to fork over in the neighborhood of $40 million guaranteed. In other words: DeMarcus Ware money. If they do that, then that would take them out of upgrades elsewhere. Plus, the team placed the franchise tag on Anthony Spencer. This isn’t to debate who is better, Spencer or Williams, but to say who’s the better fit at the price and the chance to fill needs elsewhere. Williams is more dynamic but is just too costly.

** What to do with Laurent Robinson?

The Cowboys have said Robinson is a priority. Robinson, who had 11 touchdowns last year, has said he would love to stay. Both sides want it to happen but if another team wants to blow away Robinson with an offer the Cowboys will not get into a bidding war. It would, however, create the need for a No. 3 receiver. Despite Jones’ talk about Andre Holmes, the Cowboys cannot bank on untested receivers like Holmes, Raymond Radway and Dwayne Harris to pick up the slack.

** Will Jerry Jones make a splash?

In his tenure as owner and general manager, he has made three splashes in free agency in Deion Sanders, Terrell Owens and Leonard Davis. You can put La’Roi Glover in that mix to a degree if you want. That’s it. He had a big one-day signing spree in 2005 on Jason Ferguson, Anthony Henry and Marco Rivera but they weren’t stop-the-presses signings across the league. Jones’ most productive free-agent shopping might have come in 2003 when they added Richie Anderson, Dan Campbell, Toby Gowin and Al Singleton to the roster. Don’t hold your breath on a guy like Williams or New Orleans guard Carl Nicks.

** Will the Cowboys re-sign any of their free agents before the market opens?

Doubtful. League rules prevent them from re-signing Robinson before Tuesday. Mat McBriar’s recent surgery means the two-time Pro Bowl punter will hit the market. They have had some talks with the agent for Keith Brooking but nothing substantial. Abram Elam will be allowed to test the market too. Same with Montrae Holland, who did a nice job at left guard for 10 games.

IRVING, Texas – Contrary to popular opinion, the Cowboys do not act like the New York Yankees when it comes to unrestricted free agency.

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Coop and Nate discuss the latest Cowboys news from the combine, specifically Jerry Jones' comments regarding the team's talent level. Listen

In the last two years they have signed two unrestricted free agents: Kenyon Coleman and Abram Elam. They signed three players in 2009 but none in 2008.

The Cowboys are currently $12.6 million under the cap and could create enough room by releasing players or restructuring contracts to have as much as $20-25 million in space.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones can’t guarantee the Cowboys will be able to sign players when the market opens March 13, but he does predict they will be a player.

“The way I read it all right now is that we’re going to be active in free agency,” Jones said.

The last mega-money contract Jones doled out in free agency was to Leonard Davis in 2007 ($49 million). In 2005 he shelled out about $30 million in guarantees to Marco Rivera, Anthony Henry and Jason Ferguson.

In other years the Cowboys have gone for quantity over top-quality with some success. In 2003 they added Al Singleton, Richie Anderson, Dan Campbell and Toby Gowin. In 2006 they added Akin Ayodele and Kyle Kosier. (Technically Terrell Owens did not count as an unrestricted free agent because he had been cut by Philadelphia.)

Jones said the new labor agreement between the players and owners will help take out some of the monetary guesswork.

“We have an almost exact understanding of where we’re going to be with our contracts and available room under the cap as we look ahead and where we are right now,” Jones said. “If you fact that into it and use that space up, there’s no gamble. You know exactly what’s out there. Now the true game is if the player should not be the player you think he is and you end up paying more than you should.”

INDIANAPOLIS -- What few people want to believe about how Jerry Jones operates the Cowboys is how much say the head coach has.

Most of the time if a head coach does or does not want a player, Jones will listen. And I realize now everybody is thinking Terrell Owens and Bill Parcells, but too many people at Valley Ranch have said that if Parcells was completely against adding Owens in 2006 that Jones would not have signed him.

Remember, Jones didn’t draft Randy Moss for a lot of reasons but one of them was Chan Gailey didn’t want him.

When the Cowboys have succeeded they have had a strong head coach in Jimmy Johnson and Parcells.

I thought Jason Garrett had a revealing answer when he was asked at the NFL scouting combine how involved he is in the money decisions.

“I’m very involved in it,” Garrett said. “As you know the economics of the NFL is an important part of the decision making process and every player as a price tag and a price tag might be where you draft him, how are you using that resource, in our case, the 14th pick of the first round or a second round pick or a third round pick. The other price tag is just dollars. What are they going to cost you this year? What are they going to cost you in the future? How much is that player going to cost you over the lifetime of the contract? If it’s a large sum, how does that impact the rest of your football team? Every team in the league makes decisions first and foremost by evaluating the player and how he fits in on your football team. But another part of that is economics. I’m involved in the decision making process, as is Tom Ciskowski, as is the Joneses. And the evaluation comes first but the money part of the decision making process, I’m involved in a lot of those discussions.”

Allen Wranglers co-owner/wide receiver Terrell Owens joined the Ben & Skin Show – with special co-host Deion Sanders -- on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM on Friday, and had some interesting things to say as he hopes to use the Indoor Football League as a lauching pad for an NFL return.

 

Do you expect to use the IFL as a catapult back into the NFL? Do you still have it?

“I've never lost it. Not a matter of me still having it. … I never lost it. If you look at my production every time I stepped on the field, that’ll tell you I've never lost it.

“Every time I stepped on the field with a team that already had a No. 1 receiver when I came in, and they were like, “Oh, I’m not gonna promise him a No. 1 spot.” I don’t want you to promise me a No. 1 spot. I will show you. I will earn that spot, and I will put up numbers better than your No. 1.”

What did you think when Randy Moss said he wanted to come out of retirement?

“It was news to me when he said he wanted to come back. There’s a lot of debate with a lot of analysts out there. Who would you rather have: T.O. or Randy Moss? It is what it is. We’re two great athletes. Depends on what you want. I’m not down on Randy. I think you’ll get results with him, but at the same time, you’re going to get results from me. Just depends on what you want, what you like.”

Have you looked around at rosters and said, 'I could fit there.'

“Not at the moment. I could fit anywhere. It’s all about an opportunity. I just want to be given a fair chance. …

“If you look at some of the teams that got into the playoffs, going younger has not helped them. You look at the San Francisco 49ers, with that group. They did great. They got to the NFC Championship, but that’s not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl. I’ve said it a couple of times: You look at that receiving corps that they had. Their starting receivers had -- out of them -- one catch for 3 yards. So you don’t think I could’ve helped that situation?

If you look at the Baltimore Ravens. They brought in, you know, younger guys the last couple of years. The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl. … It’s all about opportunity. It’s all about key plays.”

Back in 1998, Dallas Cowboys general manager Jerry Jones bypassed on drafting wide receiver Randy Moss in the first round due to off-the-field issues.

The Cowboys drafted defensive end Greg Ellis.

Fast forward to 2012 and with Moss making his Sugar Ray Leonard return to the NFL, the Cowboys have another chance to get the veteran wideout.

A source said the Cowboys will pass on the wide receiver.

This shouldn't come as a surprise because the Cowboys have some talented and young wide receivers in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. The team also wants to re-sign Laurent Robinson, who led the team with 11 touchdown receptions in 2011.

Dwayne Harris and Andre Holmes are young players who should compete for playing time in 2012, and if Raymond Radway fully recovers from his leg injury, suffered in the final preseason game, he will see snaps as well.

It's hard to believe any team wants to sign Moss. He missed the entire 2011 season and unlike Terrell Owens, who is coming off ACL surgery, Moss is healthy.

Moss took the Cowboys' decision to draft Ellis personally. In seven career games against the Cowboys, Moss has 10 touchdowns and an 18.9 yards-per-catch average.

Allen Wranglers receiver and co-owner Terrell Owens talks about using the Indoor Football League as an avenue back into the NFL, his reported financial issues and much more.

 


On his time with the Cowboys and their lack of postseason success:

When I was here, obviously we were winning but we weren't getting to the NFC championship games and stuff like that. We had some good seasons. I was a problem. Now that I'm not here and I've been gone, I don't know what people can say now as to what the problem is. I have no remedy, no answers for how they can get back to the glory days of bringing championships back to Dallas. It's not rocket science, as they have great players on both sides of the ball, but things are just not happening for them.

All I can do is just wish them the best. I still have friends on the team, and I'm pretty sure they're scratching their head and trying to figure things out just as well as the city of Dallas is. Again, it's very unfortunate that my stint here was kind of cut short. I definitely thought that I probably would have retired a Cowboy but that didn't happen, and you know, things happen in life and you just got to move on.

On why he chose to join the Allen Wranglers and his NFL comeback bid:

Well, you know what, obviously I'm going to have fun with it, and again, I'm using this as a platform really to keep myself in shape. The business side of it too is something that intrigued me, being a co-owner with the team, so again, this is me transitioning into life after football. That's the business side of it, obviously football doesn't last forever, and I feel I'm physically fit and can play at a productive level to where I can play a couple more years in the National Football League, and that's what I'm pushing for.

Other than that, I'm not going to give up hope just because somebody says that I'm 38 and I just had a knee injury. Injuries are part of the game. I think everybody knows my track record ... I work out hard, I'm going to do whatever I can to get back on the field and get back to 100 percent, and I'm doing that.

On his reported financial issues:

Have I lost money? Yeah. Was it $80 million? I doubt it. But at the same time, I feel like this is a situation for me to go out and speak and let a lot of guys know that are coming into the National Football League or any league for that matter ... when you have financial advisers that you're dealing with and that are on their team that are supposed to be taking care of their finances ... I fell victim to it because I had heard about these stories prior to it happening to me, and there's going to be some other stories after me.

I fell victim to the fact that they were all about, you know, go out and play football, concentrate on football, we're going to take care of your financial business. I really trusted them that that's what they were going to be doing, and that's not what happened. And when I found out, it was too late.

ALLEN, Texas -- During his 12-minute Q&A with the media Wednesday night, wide receiver Terrell Owens, now with the Allen Wranglers, was asked about his departure from the Dallas Cowboys.

PODCAST
Allen Wranglers receiver and co-owner Terrell Owens talks using the Indoor Football League as an avenue back into the NFL, his reported financial issues and much more. Listen

Owens didn't sound like a man who was over his release from the Cowboys.

"I think everybody knows after the first three years, I had signed an extension [in 2008] and after that season I got that call or whatever, that meeting that said they wanted to part ways," Owens said. "It was very disappointing. It was one of those things where again, it’s a lot of lip service. People saying they’re going to do one thing and do another. I've learned a lot within the last three to five years about life in general and even people in general."

Owens was referring to Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones.

After the Cowboys missed the playoffs in 2008, all sorts of decisions were made -- the biggest was cutting Owens. Jerry Jones had said Owens would return for the 2009 season but later said things could change.

Things did.

During a dinner meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Jerry and Stephen Jones told Owens he wouldn't be coming back to the team. It devastated Owens, who felt he was going to retire with the Cowboys.

And now it seems Owens wants nothing to do with Jerry Jones.

"I’ve seen him maybe a handful of times since then. Other than that, it is what it is," Owens said. "I'm not bitter about it. At that time, it was disappointing considering the stadium was about to be open and he had told me I was going to be a big part of that process. Then it's like having the wind knocked out of you. But life goes on."

ALLEN, Texas -- Across from the outlet mall off U.S. Highway 75 at the Allen Events Center on Wednesday night, Terrell Owens talked about getting another chance.

Owens is once more being paid as a professional athlete -- not in the NFL but with the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League, a minor league arena team. The first game is Feb. 25.

Owens is a 50 percent owner of the franchise along with Jon Frankel.

It was a sad and strange scene seeing Owens stand on the stage, talking to the media and taking questions from fans about his NFL career.

Owens still believes he can play in the NFL, but no team signed him last season. He doesn't have plans to file retirement papers and hopes to use his skill set in this league to show everybody he can still play in the NFL.

He has an opt-out clause with the Wranglers that allows him to leave if an NFL team wants to sign him.

I'm no expert, but one thing I've learned about the NFL is that the younger you are, the better.

Owens is 38. His chances are slim.

I asked Owens why he is in Allen:

"These guys sent me a proposal last year," he said simply. "I have no answers as for why. I know God works in mysterious ways. It was an opportunity for myself and my family. It’s a way for myself to keep in shape. I haven’t retired from the NFL. I want to play a couple more years. This right here will allow me to do that and assess where I am. I know I'm physically fit to play the game still."

Owens also has financial issues. He's lost some of his $80 million fortune because of bad investments, and he wants to tell younger players to be careful with their money.

The major issue with Owens is he doesn't know when to retire. He can't play in the NFL anymore.

It's got nothing to do with his attitude; he didn't get into trouble in his last two stops -- Buffalo and Cincinnati -- and it has nothing to do with previous stops in Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Owens doesn't have the skills any more to play in the NFL. He can't get off press coverage and isn't a threat down the field with his speed and while he might possess good hands, who knows if he has the quickness to get into open spots in zone coverage to catch passes.

Owens is also coming off ACL surgery. At 38. Let's say that again -- at 38 years old.

There's a documentary on HBO on boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson, who fought longer than he wanted to because of tax problems. He was a shell of his former self.

In his prime, Robinson was the best ever.

When his physical skills left him, he was just an average fighter, but the man kept fighting to pay off his debts. Charles Rangel, a longtime congressman from New York, said simply of Robinson's prolonged fighting career, "He was a professional."

That's Owens. He keeps fighting. Keeps playing while there are nearly no chances for a return to the NFL. So he will play with the Allen Wranglers and hopes to get a few more cheers again.

He's like that prizefighter who won't go away.

It seems this move is beneath Owens, based on a career that should put him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.

"From a football aspect, no," Owens said of whether playing in this league was beneath him. "There has been some things I have been going through personally from that standpoint and obviously the passing of my grandmother. It has definitely put a lot things in perspective for me and my family. Other than that, I'm not really worried about what anybody thinks or what they say about me from here going forward. I know I have to take control of my life and what I have to do for my family. That is all that really matters."

For maybe the first time since I first started covering him in 2006, Owens seems at peace with himself.

Maybe that's all he has left. Peace of mind.

The professional football career of wide receiver Terrell Owens resumes Wednesday night when he'll be introduced as a co-owner/player for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League.

The team has scheduled a free welcoming party for Owens starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Allen Events Center and it will last about an hour. Fans will be given popcorn as they walk in. The doors open at 6 p.m.

Why is Owens joining a minor league indoor football team?

Owens didn't play in the NFL last season, and he's using this to show NFL teams he can still play. He's also having financial issues, having lost most of his $80 million fortune as he's in litigation to get some of his money back.

As for the Wranglers, Owens told talk show host Wendy Williams of opposing players trying to hit him: "They can't hit what they can't touch."