Terrell Owens landed at CVG International about 25 minutes ago. He's off to dinner with coaches, and will have his official visit at Paul Brown Stadium tomorrow, according to Geoff Hobson. Hobson got in touch with former Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had some very nice things to say about Owens.
"It's hard not to like T.O. He was fun to play with and no one worked harder," Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. "And let me tell you something. He can still flat out run by people."
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Palmer has apparently finally been able to get in touch with Owens to talk Bengals. Fitzpatrick has been texting Owens, letting him know that Palmer's long ball is looking for another partner. And to let Palmer know that Owens has still got it.
"I know we had a tough year and it discourages me when I hear people say he's lost a step," Fitzpatrick said. "Put on the game tape. He just blows guys up off the line with his explosiveness."
Additionally, Owens seems very motivated by non-financial factors to play in Cincinnati. Particularly, the man really wants to play with Chad Ochocinco and win a Superbowl. He tweeted:
En route @ Natti land!! i'll let u guys know how the mtg went! Cn't go 2 bad considering the pursuit of tht Lombardi shiny thing!!
and later..
@OGOchoCinco i'm on the plane!
Update(s) from Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy viaTwitter: Joe Reedy seems to have grabbed a few lines from T.O: ""Right now this is my first stop and we'll see how it goes from there. Chad and I both can alleviate a lot of pressure off each other and we can make Carson's job easier."
A few minutes later, Reedy tweets "I definitely feel like I can play 2-3 more years. I keep myself in great shape and that in itself speaks for itself." Could be a PR ploy to boost his value, but maybe 2 years of T.O. is in the works.
Reedy is a workhorse: "I saw [Chad Ochocinco] on Saturday. His work is already done. He put the bug out there. So right now we have to solidify some things."
Update 2: Owens' day with Bengal ownership starts tomorrow at 7:45 AM. He'll be meeting with Mike Brown, WR Coach Mike Sheppard, and Bob Bratkowski. Presumably, contract negotiations would ensue after that.
Meanwhile, Antonio Bryant reportedly left Cincinnati without a deal. But according to the St. Petersburg Times, his formerly reported visit with Washington, where he could have competed for the #1 wide receiver spot and potentially earned a bigger contract, is not happening. This has fueled speculation from ESPN that talks went very well and that a signing may be imminent.
Could that mean Bryant is closing in on a deal? Perhaps. Stay tuned.
Other teams that have been reportedly linked to Bryant are similarly economically situated Carolina, and wealthier New England and Miami. The feeling is that Bryant will make a decision soon.