The Cincinnati Bengals and Terrell Owens have been moderately linked this offseason, causing enough speculation to think that the marriage could be somewhat beneficial to the Bengals. That was until the Bengals signed Antonio Bryant earlier this offseason, shutting down that speculation, leaving Owens to be the recipient of several teams saying, "oh hell no" publicly.
However, Friday night TMZ released a report that Owens was "very close" to signing with the Bengals. Within hours, the Enquirer's Joe Reedy debunked the story writing that those "reports are false according to two sources with knowledge of the situation." However, Reedy did point out several signs that could go in the favor of Owens signing with Cincinnati.
While we still view the likelihood as a long shot, a couple of league observers have noted that the Owens camp denied reports of a deal being close with Dallas until it happened. It’s not feasible at the moment, but if Antonio Bryant struggles due to last year’s knee problems, the likelihood of an Owens signing does increase.
Another factor is that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday night that Carson Palmer has been working out with Owens in California and has been impressed. Palmer did talk with Owens before his visit here in March along with Bryant. Owens agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was in town this week but it was more to touch base with Chad Ochocinco.