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Following up on an ongoing story (previous articles available here, here and here). ... Terrell Owens and his agent visited Denver on Monday, talking with head coach Mike Shanahan to see if he might be a fit with the Broncos.

Owens is under contract with Philadelphia, but the Eagles have given him permission to seek a trade.

As ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli suggested, the meeting might be the first step in an effort to acquire Owens, who is still under contract to the Eagles.

It also might amount to nothing at all.

But sources told Pasquarelli there appears to be some degree of mutual interest, even if the meeting was generally viewed as just a get-acquainted session.

In fact, a person familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition he not be identified because there was no deal, told Associated Press sports writer Eddie Pells the volatile receiver had a good meeting with Shanahan.

Owens and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were shown by KCNC-TV at the Denver airport on their way out of town Monday night.

Broncos spokesman Jim Saccomano, working at the Super Bowl in Detroit, told Pells he could not comment because he had no knowledge of the visit.

Last week, Shanahan declined commenting specifically on Owens because he is still under contract with the Eagles.

But as Pells suggested, the coach does have a history of taking chances on so-called risky players. Some, like Gerard Warren and Todd Sauerbrun, have worked out. Others, like Maurice Clarett and Dale Carter, haven't.

"Whoever that guy might be. ... There's always a possibility if somebody handles himself the right way, they could come into this organization," Shanahan said. "But they're going to have to live by the standards we practice."

The day after the Broncos lost to Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game, several Broncos said they would welcome Owens in their locker room.

"If it would work anywhere, I think it would work here because of the guys in the locker room," center Tom Nalen said. "Guys would keep him straight. I think he'd conform. He'd fit in here."

Denver's offense statistically ranked No. 5 overall in the league in 2005 but was just 18th in passing. The Broncos currently have receivers Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie. Smith, 35, had another strong year, finishing with 85 catches for 1,105 yards. Lelie had moments, but hasn't lived up to his potential as a first-round draft pick.

Many believe the Broncos need a game-breaker to take the next step.

"Everybody wants difference makers and everybody wants great players," Shanahan said. "Sometimes, you get a great player that's not a team player and then you have a great player on your team and he might not help you win games."

In November, the Eagles suspended Owens for the remainder of the season for his repeated criticism of the team, Donovan McNabb and several other issues.

Pasquarelli went on to remind readers tonight that the consensus around the league has been that, since most teams believe the Eagles will release Owens before they must pay him bonuses totaling $7.5 million in March, the trade market for him would be blunted.

Eagles head coach Andy Reid insisted during Senior Bowl all-star game practices last week, though, that several teams had indicated an interest in having trade talks.

Why? In return for some compensation in a trade -- perhaps very little compensation, a team could get the rights to Owens and then negotiate a new deal with him while he's still under his old contract.

And that's worth something. ...

One last note on this one tonight. ... In his "Monday Morning Quarterback" column, published this morning, SI.com and HBO insider Peter King wrote: "I can see Terrell Owens with a horse on his helmet. I can see it clearly."

A suddenly prescient observation if ever there was one.