Terrell Owens is 52 years old. It has been more than 15 years since he suited up for an NFL game. And yet, the former San Francisco 49ers hero has yet to back down. Still working out, lifting weights, and remarkably fit, Owens believes he’s still got some fire left in him. Especially when there is precedent.
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“At least!!! And if Phillip Rivers can come back and play, I, for sure can!” Owens reacted to a video featuring his game on X. “Haters and Non-believers will HATE!”
In a video shared by MLFootball, we see Owens catching multiple passes successfully and showing his adept footwork. It was the kind of agility and speed that people generally don’t expect from men of that age. And even though Owens compared himself with Philip Rivers’ return, it’s worth noting that the Indianapolis Colts star is eight years younger than him.
Rivers hung up his cleats in 2020, but returned to play with the Colts last season. Of course, he didn’t play 16 games like he used to in his prime. Instead, Rivers started three games in 2025 and finished with 58 passes for 544 yards and four touchdowns. He retired after that year, for good this time.
The 44-year-old then began tackling questions around his post-retirement plans in January. Reportedly, NFL franchises wanted to hire him as a coach. Meanwhile, some claimed he could perhaps switch to broadcasting. But Rivers is still undecided.
“I’ve not ruled it out, but I’ve just every opportunity that’s been close to coming or had come up, it just hadn’t felt right,” Rivers said on the Up & Adams Show. “I do think I would enjoy it. I just don’t know. The one thing that I’ve just loved since I was however old playing this game and being now as a coach is, I’ve been able to have some impact on the score.”
Meanwhile, Owens has been adding fuel to talks about his return from retirement for ages. Back in 2022, the wide receiver suited up for the 7-on-7 Fan Controlled Football League. That came 12 years after he played his last season in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. After all, he had never formally retired.
“I just don’t like the notion that people see it, even in the National Football League, it’s almost like, OK, you’ve reached a certain age at whatever point in time in your life and they feel like you can’t play anymore or your skills decline to a degree,” he said in 2022. “Of course everybody’s skills at some point may decline, but I think there are certain people that kind of defy those odds, and I think I’m one of those people.”
In September 2025, Owens revealed his interest in returning to the league. He didn’t really want to be a starter. However, he claimed that he still had the prowess to terrorize the defenses.
“You’re trying to tell me that I can’t play third downs, like 20 to 25 snaps a game…,” Owens said. “I’ll be a threat. I’ll be a terror in the red zone. No doubt.”
During his prime, Owens set an NFL record by catching 20 passes in a single game. He’s the kind of player who is an example of resilience; he made a remarkable return to the field for the Super Bowl seven weeks after he broke his leg. Doctors didn’t want to clear him, but Owens tallied nine passes for 122 yards in that condition in the Super Bowl, and won it too.
Owens has never lacked the confidence required to dominate the field. While Rivers proved that a calculated, short-term return from retirement is functionally possible, a 52-year-old WR stepping into the field would be a different spectacle. Through social media videos, Owens is showing proof of his physicality.
However, whether his fitness will permit him to take on that challenge in his 50s is a tough question.