Factoid
As you gauge whether you think Terrell Owens can still be an elite receiver, as he moves into a less powerful offense in Buffalo, you must also factor in his age.
Owens is 35, and he’ll be 36 in December. That’s old for an NFL receiver.
Culling over the stats of the last 30 years, you don’t see many old receivers putting up big numbers. Since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, 238 wide receivers have caught at least 9 TDs in a season. But only a handful of those receivers (and they’re listed below) were at least 33 years old when the season began.
Note in the following chart that Owens, who takes very good care of himself, has been able to beat the age odds so far, scoring 15 TDs as a 33-year-old and another 10 as a 34-year-old last year.
OLDER RECEIVERS WHO'VE CAUGHT 9-PLUS TDS IN THE LAST 30 YEARS
Ages are as of opening day.
38 Years Old
TD Year Team
9 2001 Oak. Jerry Rice
37 Years Old
none
36 Years Old
none
35 Years Old
TD Year Team
9 2005 S.D. Keenan McCardell
9 2001 Oak. Tim Brown
9 1998 S.F. Jerry Rice
34 Years Old
TD Year Team
12 2006 Ind. Marvin Harrison
11 2000 Oak. Tim Brown
10 2008 Dall. Terrell Owens
9 2000 Minn. Cris Carter
33 Years Old
TD Year Team
15 2007 Dall. Terrell Owens
13 1999 Minn. Cris Carter
12 2005 Ind. Marvin Harrison
11 1996 Phil. Irving Fryar
10 2005 T.B. Joey Galloway
—Ian Allan
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