Owens inks 1-year, $6.5M deal with Bills
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ESPN.com
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It didn't take long for T.O. to find a new home.
Terrell Owens has agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Buffalo Bills.
T.O. Ranks
Terrell Owens is in the top 10 in most career receiving categories, trailing only former teammate Jerry Rice in touchdown catches.
Owens All-time
Receptions 951 T-6th
Yards 14,122 5th
Touchdowns 139 2nd
Yards/Game 74.7 10th
"I'm leaving America's team [for] North America's team," Owens said at a news conference in Buffalo in Saturday.
According to a source, the entire contract is guaranteed.
The Bills will be Owens' third team, after starting with San Francisco, bouncing to Philadelphia -- where he helped the Eagles get to a Super Bowl -- and Dallas.
"I must move on, and it's another beginning for me," Owens said. "If I can be that extra added piece to get them to the playoffs, then that's what I'm here for. I looked at the defensive side of ball and offensive side of the ball, and these guys have all the pieces."
Owens visited the Bills on Saturday. He was released by the Dallas Cowboys late Wednesday.
Mosley: T.O. back in business
Former Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens may not have nine NFL lives, but he has at least four. T.O. has signed a one-year deal worth $6.5 million with the Bills, Matt Mosley writes. Blog
Graham: Bills take chance
The Cowboys paid Owens a $12 million signing bonus last year, which was included as part of a new four-year, $34 million deal. Dallas took a roughly $9 million salary-cap hit when it released Owens.
There has been talk since the end of the Cowboys' 9-7 season, in which they missed the playoffs, that they would consider cutting Owens to improve locker room morale.
Owens finished with more catches (69), receiving yards (1,052) and touchdowns (10) last season than any player on the Bills' roster.
The Bills were in need of a receiver to take the pressure off Lee Evans. They got one of the biggest names out there.
The question now is how T.O. will deal with Trent Edwards, who is entering only his second full year as starter. Owens has made life difficult for quarterbacks in the past and joins an offense that struggled mightily last year.
The Bills were 25th in the NFL in yards gained and failed to have a 300-yard passing game. The offense has been a perennial problem. It has ranked 25th or lower in each of the past six seasons.
Coach Dick Jauron has often complained about the Bills' lack of scoring punch, but this represents a serious change in philosophy for a team that in the past has tried to avoid taking on disruptive locker room personalities.
The signing acquisition for the Bills since acquiring Drew Bledsoe in a trade in 2002.
Buffalo certainly needs a boost. The Bills have missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons, the longest drought in team history. The Bills are also coming off three straight 7-9 finishes under Jauron, who was retained by the team after his three-year contract expired at the end of the season.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
