Terrell Owens claims he was disrespected by Tom Brady for absurd reason

Throughout his 20+ year dominance over the rest of the league, Tom Brady surely made a lot of enemies, most of whom are likely just bitter for constantly losing to the greatest quarterback of all time. Because he reached unprecedented success over a long period, it makes sense for others hoping to reach the peak would feel that way.

We've seen it repeatedly over the years, with players expressing their frustration over losses or whatever it might be until Brady retired, and they mostly decided he was a cool guy after all.

But that sentiment is not shared in the eyes of one retired Pro Bowl receiver, who recently revealed his true feelings about Brady during an appearance on the "Bubba Dub Show podcast."

Terrell Owens is still mad at Tom Brady for ignoring him two years ago

Six-time Pro Bowler Terrell Owens has always been a controversial figure in the football world, mainly for his over-the-top antics on and off the field and his outspoken nature in interviews and on social media. That remains true even 13 years after he retired, but he apparently considered a return to the game not that long ago.

After the Antonio Brown fiasco happened amidst the Bucs' playoff run during the 2021 season, Owens took to his Twitter/X account to declare himself ready to replace the former longtime Steeler. At the time, he was 48 years old, advocating he was still in football shape and prepared to return to the field despite having retired in 2010.

Had this been ten years earlier, perhaps the Bucs would have been interested.

Regardless, Owens reached out to Tom Brady to let him know he was willing to fill in for the loss of Brown, who had been a big part of the Tampa offense since joining the team in 2020. The inquiry didn't go as well as Owens had hoped, as he alleges Brady never responded, and he felt (and still feels) like the quarterback disrespected him because of it.

"Tom Brady ignored me. The year that AB went crazy . . . they just needed somebody to fill some holes with AB leaving at the receiver position. I reached out to him through Randy and some other people, just to come in and play third down and red zone situations. This dude ignored me. It just shows you the lack of respect there, but then when they get in front of you they want to act like they respect you."

It's fair for Owens to feel disappointed or whatever he might make of Brady's lack of response, but it's also a bit delusional to believe that a Week 17 meltdown from Brown would prompt the quarterback to seek the help of a 48-year-old retired receiver to join the team in their quest to win a Super Bowl.

Sure, Owens was an incredible player, recording nine 1,000+ yard seasons during his 15-year career, and maybe he was still in shape to accomplish some good on the field. But what would motivate the Bucs to look to a receiver who hadn't played in 12 years to replace Antonio Brown instead of looking at free agents?

Imagine the headlines had Tampa Bay made that move. The media would have obliterated them unless Owens somehow still played like he was 25 years old.

But this isn't the first time Owens has spoken negatively about Brady or the Patriots, for that matter. He infamously ranted to the paparazzi years ago and referred to the duo as cheaters and more. This could be a vendetta against the duo that prompted Owens' continued efforts to tear them down or just a bitter player wishing he could have won it all with a guy like Brady.

More Patriots coverage: