Six years after wreaking havoc on the Eagles organization, receiver Terrell Owens is still trying to cause a little trouble.
Appearing Tuesday on 97.5 The Fanatic with Mike Missanelli in Philadelphia, Owens was asked whether receiver DeSean Jackson should play in the Week One game against the Rams.
“Absolutely not,” Owens said, via PhillySportsDaily.com. “I would have to better myself and my family and my situation. That’s ridiculous.”
Jackson, in the final year of a slotted rookie deal, is due to earn $600,000 in 2011.
Owens pointed out that Jackson has received advice “to go in there, be a man about it and play under the existing contract that he has . . . but I guarantee you, if he goes out and gets hurt, God forbid, he’s not going to get the contract that he probably would have gotten if he held out.”
Jackson, who like Owens is represented by Drew Rosenhaus, likely is taking a low-key position due to the mess that T.O. created in his quest for a new contract. If Owens had handled his business differently, Jackson possibly could be a bit more aggressive now.
And Owens acknowledges that he may have gone too far.
“I probably would have handled it in a more professional way,” Owens said of his own experiences. “I still stand by the fact that I never tried to do anything out of the norm to tarnish my relationship with the Eagles. My agent tried to do the necessary things to try and do things behind closed doors to ensure I got a good contract at that time.”
That strategy failed. If Jackson suffers a serious injury before getting a new deal, his strategy will have failed, too.
If Jackson gets hurt, the Eagles can always call T.O.
Asked if he’d play again for the Eagles, Owens said, “Dude, of course . . . I loved Philly. I loved playing there. I’ve never had a feeling like scoring a touchdown, going to the sideline and having all of Lincoln Financial Field chant my name. I had the best time of my life and my career in my years in Philadelphia.”
He’s right about one thing. All of Lincoln Field would be chanting his name if he returned. With a few extra words.