News & Info/Headlines
By golly. ... Once things got rolling, this deal couldn't happen fast enough. In a hastily called Saturday afternoon press conference, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones introduced controversial receiver Terrell Owens as the newest member of his ball club."I'm a star among stars now," a smiling Owens said.
Sitting next to Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus, Jones announced the talented-but-capricious Owens had just signed a three-year deal. Head coach Bill Parcells was not on hand for the occasion due, according to Jones, to previously scheduled travel plans.
The coach and his new star receiver already have spoken by telephone, though. And his absence was typical; Parcells hasn't attended any for free-agent signings since joining the club three-plus years ago.
Jones stressed the decision to sign Owens was well-thought out.
"This was not done cavalierly," Jones said. "It was not done because we wanted to be on the front page of papers. It was done because we looked at it strictly from the standpoint of what Terrell could bring to the table."
Other than the fact it was for three years, Jones didn't immediately reveal any contract details. ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli, however, reports the deal could earn Owens a total of $25 million. It includes $5 million in 2006 bonus money with $5 million in base salary.
Dallas must then pay Owens a roster bonus of $3 million in March 2007 to retain him for that season, at a base salary of $5 million. There is another roster bonus of $3 million due in March 2008, and Owens has a base salary of $4 million for that year.
The Associated Press suggested the deal was likely to include behavior-related provisions.
"We can both disappoint each other in this agreement," Jones said when asked about just such provisions. "But this is no free lunch to the Dallas Cowboys. We made a commitment to him. That means something."
Along those lines, Owens referred to his past problems as "life-learning experiences."
"I'm going to put those things behind me," Owens said. "They can only make a man stronger, wiser. For me, that's what it's done. I'll be a better teammate, a better person, a better man in life. I'm looking forward to this opportunity. I couldn't be more excited to be here."
Following up a question to Jones about Owens' past, the receiver interjected: "Jerry, I know what's expected of me. I won't let you down. ..."
Meanwhile, as DallasCowboys.com staffer Nick Eatman noted, parting ways with Keyshawn Johnson on Tuesday immediately made the wide receiver position a top priority for the Cowboys, especially with the free-agent receiving crop starting to dwindle.
And Owens was clearly the most talented wide receiver available in free agency.
He played just seven games with the Eagles last season before the club deactivated him for conduct detrimental to the team. In his second year with in Philadelphia, Owens had publicly criticized numerous members of the organization, including quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Owens was not pleased with his contract and remained a constant source of news even in his inactivity. He and Rosenhaus appeared more than once on national television to discuss the conflict with the Eagles.
Despite missing more than half the year, Owens managed 47 catches for 763 yards and six touchdowns.
But Owens has caused controversy on numerous occasions in his 10-year career, the primary reason he will be joining his third team in four seasons.
Notable among his odd actions came against Dallas in 2002, when, after scoring a touchdown for the San Francisco 49ers, he sprinted to midfield and celebrated in the middle of the star at Texas Stadium.
"I know a lot of people are going to hit me with a lot of questions about the star incident," Owens said. "No disrespect did I have at that particular time, I was just a competitor. I wanted to win. But just as Emmitt [Smith] did when I stood on that star, I'm going to embrace it from here on out."
Of course, he also has had many moments of a positive nature, especially in Super Bowl XXXIX when he returned from a broken leg that robbed him of the final two regular season games and two playoff contests to make nine catches for 122 yards.
A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has 716 catches for 10,535 yards in 142 career games with the 49ers and Eagles.
Much of his success is due to the unique combination of size and speed, not to mention play-making ability. Owens had a 91-yard touchdown catch last season and has 40 career catches of 40 yards or more.
Still, the controversial side of Owens attracts considerable attention.
And while I reviewed some of the theories being floated regarding a Parcells-T.O. relationship in an article published here Friday, Rosenhaus insisted during today's news conference that he's had in-depth discussions with the coach regarding his client and that both Parcells and Owens were on the same page.
Jones repeatedly mentioned that Parcells was in favor of adding Owens.
"This was not me selling Bill, this was not Bill selling me," Jones said. "This was us taking advantage of getting an outstanding player. ... Bill has coached a lot of players that, quote-unquote, have the perception that a they might not fit in with team chemistry."
There are, however, some angles worth noting here.
As ESPN.com's John Clayton suggested earlier this week, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and NFL Players Association will make it much more difficult for the Cowboys to discipline Owens than it was for Philadelphia.
Clayton went on to explain that thanks to the infighting among NFL owners for revenue-sharing prior to the collective bargaining agreement extension, T.O. will get a pass if his new team doesn't like his antics and wants to discipline him.
According to Clayton, Owens might not be totally invincible in the revised system, but teams won't have the double hammer used by the Eagles last season of suspending him and making him inactive for the remainder of the season.
In fact, general managers have been fuming about the revised disciplinary rules since they received them last week. Virtually all the discipline-related grievances teams won in 15 years of the salary-cap era went back to the players.
Now, nearly all the forfeiture provisions for new contracts favors the player, not the team.
As outlined by Clayton:
While Clayton conceded this isn't a "Get Out of Jail" card, it's a major win for players and Owens is a big beneficiary. Under these rules, the worst Owens can expect is a four-game suspension and maybe a release.
Teams know they can't do much financially to discipline him if he acts up, and according to Clayton, "his chances of acting up under an incentive-laden contract are high. If he doesn't like it, he can try to force a trade or a release."
"It's 'buyer beware' for the team that gets him; good luck trying to discipline him if he acts up. ..."
Hopefully, Jones and his minions were able to process that same information while making the decision to sign Owens and while structuring his contract.
And while it's easy to focus on the negative and potential -- but as of yet unrealized -- conflict with Parcells or management, we shouldn't overlook the potential for positive -- something the Eagles would have certainly attested to following his first season in Philadelphia.
With that thought in mind, I'll point out that ESPN analyst and former NFL cornerback Eric Allen thinks this is a great move for both parties.
According to Allen, "It's a great move for the Cowboys because it gets them one step closer to becoming a Super Bowl contender. Say what you will about his attitude and off field actions, but Owens is a superstar receiver who gives his all on the field every play.
"He's a tremendous talent who makes things much easier for his teammates because opposing defenses must key in on him to stop him from completely dominating the game. ..."
No arguments here. Everything Allen says is true -- as long as Owens is happy.
Whatever the case, it's safe to assume there will be no shortage of information emanating from Dallas regarding this acquisition in the coming days, weeks and months.
And I'll be here to bring you items of interest throughout. If nothing else, it should be interesting to see how it unfolds.