Terrell Owens is looking for a job, but there don't seem to be any takers.

It has to be killing him not being in the spotlight. He was a talk of the offseason last

year after signing with the Buffalo Bills, but there has been hardly a mention of him for

weeks.

It's hard to believe he's done, though. He might not be an elite receiver anymore (I'm sure

he'd dispute that), but he can still play.

There are a number of teams out there could use one of the most prolific receivers in NFL

history. The question is who will be the first to give T.O. a call.

Despite a lack of experience at wide receiver, the Bills decided one year of Owens was

enough. His much-hyped arrival sold lots of tickets and jerseys, but did nothing to improve

the team's fortunes on the football field.

Other teams have taken a pass, too.

Baltimore and Cincinnati were initially seen as likely destinations for the free agent wide

receiver. But the Ravens acquired Anquan Boldin in a trade with Arizona. Despite Chad

Ochocinco's lobbying, the Bengals opted to sign Antonio Bryant — on the same day Owens

visited, no less.

Donovan McNabb, who has repaired his once-fractured relationship with Owens, urged

Washington to bring him in. But the Redskins said "Thanks, but no thanks."

The Seattle Seahawks explored the possibility of signing Owens, but apparently are happy

with what they have.

I always thought the Chicago Bears would make sense because they have a super-talent passer

in Jay Cutler but no proven receivers to throw to. There was speculation the Bears were in

play when Owens ran into Cutler and tight end Greg Olsen at a Chicago night club last Sunday.

But Olsen, who has the same agent as Owens (Drew Rosenhaus), insists the meeting was

coincidental and neither he nor Cutler tried to recruit T.O.

A lot of people think Oakland is a logical landing spot. So far, the Raiders haven't gotten

past the internal discussion stage.

So why are teams staying away from Owens?

Age has to be a factor. Owens turns 37 in December. While he's in better shape than most

25-year-olds, there comes a time when even being in top physical condition can't stop the

natural erosion of skills as a player gets older.

Owens led the Bills with 55 catches and 829 yards. Those are decent numbers for a lot of

receivers, but not close to Owens' usually high standards. His reception total was the lowest

since 2005 when he played just seven games with the Philadelphia Eagles and the worst in a

full season since he was a rookie in 1996. He had just one 100-yard game last season and

caught five or more passes in only three games.

The Bills' poor quarterback play had a lot to do with Owens' sub-par season, but there were

times when he had trouble separating from cornerbacks.

Money has something to do with his unemployment, too.

Given his inflated opinion of himself and Rosenhaus' penchant for seeking inflated deals

for his clients, it's entirely possible the asking price is too high. After all, they were

able to squeeze $6.5 million out of the Bills when no one else would have paid half that

amount.

Then there is Owens' diva reputation.

He was on his best behavior in Buffalo on and off the field. The cynical view was that his

good soldier act was merely a ploy to show future employers he could be a team player.

But ask any Bills player, media relations employee or front office official and you'll get

nothing but praise for the way Owens conducted himself. You never heard him throw the coaching

staff or the quarterbacks under the bus, though he made his preference for Ryan Fitzpatrick

over Trent Edwards very clear.

Owens went out of his way to be a mentor to young receivers like James Hardy and Stevie

Johnson. Although Owens' presence didn't help Lee Evans, who had the worst season of his

career, the two co-existed quite well.

And beside a media boycott after the first two games, he was mostly cooperative.

"I really appreciated what Terrell brought to the table," Fitzpatrick said after practice

last Wednesday. "He brought a lot of experience, and his work ethic was tremendous. We didn't

ever have any problems, and there were open lines of communication on the sideline. He

certainly wasn't shy about suggesting stuff, or letting you know he was open on a play, but

that's part of the quarterback-wide receiver relationship.

"I can only speak from last year and how things went between me and Terrell, but it was

nothing but great for me to have him as a teammate and to have him out there catching passes."

Apparently, the positive reviews from Buffalo don't matter. Teams still remember how Owens'

selfish ways and public criticism of teammates wrecked locker room chemistry in Dallas and

burned bridges in Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Based on the comments on his Twitter page, Owens has no doubt he'll play football this

fall. It's just a matter of where and when.

But all he can do for now is sit and wait, a hard thing to do for someone whose best virtue

has never been patience.