Should the Oakland Raiders Risk Terrell Owens...

Few teams have a list of strange questions at wide receiver like the Oakland Raiders. While young and talented, the group seems lacking a veteran presence. Would the team take a chance on Terrell Owens or Plaxico Burress?

The saga of Terrell Owens is longer than the War & Peace novel. Coupled with his antics on and off the field are talents few wide receivers have ever had. That's why even at 38 years old he seems to draw interest from experts. His latest stab at a comeback came when he appeared at an NFL players workout with other major stars like quarterback Drew Brees and running back Darren Sproles. Among others was Raiders passer Carson Palmer who actually teamed with Owens back in 2010 with the Cincinnati Bengals. That history set off all kinds of rumors that Palmer might make a push to the team front office to offer T.O. a deal. Given his age and injury history he would come cheap and could give the other young receivers some experience to feed off. A bigger question is if the Oakland Raiders have interest in Owens, then why not Plaxico Burress?

At one point Oakland had no fear of taking on rejects from across the NFL, including those with colorful arrest records. With late owner Al Davis gone that policy seems to have changed. New general manager Reggie McKenzie wants his team built through the draft without a need for free agents. While not surprising, there is another reason the Raiders haven't pulled the trigger on Burress even though he is four years younger than T.O. and has all the same tools as a wide receiver. Recently one the teams' best young pass catchers in Darius Heyward-Bey was arrested and went to court for Driving Under the Influence. Anyone who remembers Burress knows he got sent to prison for two years on gun charges. The last thing Oakland coaches and executives want is another risk on their roster. T.O. is many things but an old friend of the police he is not.

The truth is the Oakland Raiders aren't totally safe whether they sign Terrell Owens or Plaxico Burress. With Owens they have the history with Carson Palmer but also the endless media headaches. As for Burress, the Darius Heyward-Bey problem uses puts his arrest record in full view despite him being healthy and a solid veteran target.