Tom Brady accused of 'disrespect' by former NFL star over claims he 'ignored' shock comeback offer

Former NFL receiver Terrell Owens has accused Tom Brady of lacking respect after claiming he was 'ignored' by the legendary quarterback after offering to come out of retirement.

Owens enjoyed 15 seasons in the NFL after being picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1996 draft, before also going on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys amongst others.

After tearing his ACL at the age of 38, the five-time First-team All Pro wideout never played beyond the 2010 season, with a brief move to the Seattle Seahawks in 2012 ending abruptly.


Yet just under a decade later, Owens reached out to Brady and offered his services to the then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback - only to be brutally snubbed.

Tom Brady
Terrell Owens

Former NFL receiver Terrell Owens (right) has accused Tom Brady of lacking respect

He claims to have made contact with Brady in January 2022, shortly after controversial receiver Antonio Brown had infamously walked out on Tampa Bay during a game against the New York Jets.

Even at the age of 48, Owens felt he would be the ideal replacement for Brown and therefore offered to make a shock comeback.

But speaking on the The Volume's 'The Bubba Dub Show', he recalled: 'Tom Brady ignored me, bro. 

'The year that AB [Brown] went crazy on him, I was talking about coming back, and at that point in time it was the end of the season, I didn't need to play a full season. They just needed somebody to at least fill some holes with AB leaving at the receiver position.

'I reached out to him [Brady] through Randy [Moss] and a couple of other people, just to come in and play third down and red zone situation.

He claims to have made contact with Brady in January 2022, shortly after receiver Antonio Brown (pictured) infamously walked out on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs the New York Jets

He claims to have made contact with Brady in January 2022, shortly after receiver Antonio Brown (pictured) infamously walked out on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs the New York Jets

But after offering to come out of retirement and help him, Owens says the legendary quarterback straight up ignored him

But after offering to come out of retirement and help him, Owens says the legendary quarterback straight up ignored him

The five-time First-team All Pro wideout has accused Brady of lacking respect for him

The five-time First-team All Pro wideout has accused Brady of lacking respect for him

'You know this dude really ignored me, bro? 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.'

Brady was enjoying what would eventually prove his penultimate NFL season at the time of Owens' offer, before he brought the curtain down on his career after the Buccaneers' Wild Card defeat to the Dallas Cowboys just over a year later. 

The 46-year-old, widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time after winning seven Super Bowls, is set to enter the world of TV later this year.

After putting pen to paper on a huge $375million contract, Brady will feature as an analyst on Fox throughout the 2024-25 NFL season.