It could be a moot point, given the recent ESPN reports about the pursuit of Terrell Owens, but the Atlanta Falcons are the latest franchise to disavow any interest in the free agent wide receiver.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported Saturday that the St. Louis Rams are interested in signing Owens and could make a contract offer by Monday. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that the Cincinnati Bengals are engaged in discussions about the peripatetic receiver, but have yet to make a formal contract proposal.
"I don’t think (we’ll show an interest in Owens)," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said during a radio interview that included ESPN.com NFL reporter Len Pasquarelli as a guest host. "We like the guys we have. No, I don’t see us doing that."
Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are projected as the Atlanta starters. Both players are former first-round choices, Jenkins in 2004 and White in ’05. The Falcons have invested heavily in recent years in the two players.
White, who has gained over 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons and been chosen for the Pro Bowl each year, signed a six-year, $50 million contract last summer. In 2008. Jenkins received a $20 million extension for four years.
Almost as important, the Falcons feel confident that two-year veteran Harry Douglas, who missed all of the 2009 campaign with a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in training camp last summer, will return for this year. Douglas was the team’s No. 3 receiver, and registered 23 catches as a rookie in 2008. The Falcons are enamored of Douglas, feel he can be a breakout player in 2010, and he is the heavy favorite to be the club’s slot receiver.
In addition, the Falcons have several promising young receivers, and under Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith have avoided taking on older players who might be a distraction to the team’s young core.
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