Terrell Owens had a 15-season run in the NFL, making stops at five different NFL teams. However, it was the NFL’s decision that pushed the wide receiver to hang up his cleats as a pro player. Even though his journey continued outside of the league after that, Owens’ wound is still fresh as he opened up on the Get To The Point Podcast.

“I probably would have, I would have probably got to be a 1000-yard receiver. But it just shows you, like I said, age is nothing but a number,”shared Owens, hinting at how he still carries the regret. “And I don’t like the idea of the fact that I wasn’t able to leave the game on my own terms. Could I have played three, four more years? Yeah, absolutely.

“But again we talk about like, aging players. Everybody is different. Everybody’s body is different. I wouldn’t say that somebody coming out the same year as I did could have the same amount of years and success. It all depends on how you take care of your body.”

The third-round pick of the 1996 NFL Draft, the Chattanooga graduate was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Owens had spent the majority of his NFL career in the 49ers camp and then went to Philadelphia in 2004. After two seasons with the Eagles, he tried his luck in the Dallas camp and was signed with the Cowboys till 2008. The last two stints happened in Buffalo and Cincinnati.

Owens does not have a day when he officially retired. But his last NFL regular-season game was played on December 19, 2010, for the Bengals. In his 15-year-long career, Owens wrapped up with 15,934 yards in regular season and 1,078 receptions. But he still carries a regret within his heart.

He came short of 17 yards from hitting another 1000-yard season mark, that time with Cincinnati. All happened on the ominous day of December 19, 2010. A knee injury left him sidelined. Things took an uglier turn as he was diagnosed with a season-ending meniscus tear. What added to the pain was his age, as he was 37 years old back then.

But did he have potential for a return? Definitely. He had piled up 72 catches for 983 yards and nine scores by that time. So, Owens opened up about his grievance in an earlier episode of the same podcast, claiming that he fell prey to the politics.

“I was still playing at a high level,” Owens said on the Get To The Point Podcast. “It was things outside of my physical abilities that prevented me from playing. You know what I mean? It was more political stuff because, even in my last two years, they weren’t looking for me to even really contribute, and I outplayed both starting receivers the last two teams that I played for.

“[Chad Johnson] Ocho, and [Tyler] Boyd in Cincinnati and Lee Evans in Buffalo. And then management had the nerve to tell me from the beginning before I even signed like, well, we can’t guarantee him a starting spot.”

Not being able to quench his thirst for playing for some more time, Owens tried to try his luck to push off his retirement. The Seattle Seahawks did answer his call and agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million in 2012. However, things did not blossom after that, as the team released Owens within less than three weeks after he signed the deal. Even though the CFL followed, it could not replace the NFL experience.

Maybe that’s why, after all these years, he still keeps the dream of playing in the NFL alive within himself.

When on 95.7 The Game’s podcast, the host asked Owens if anyone had approached him about a comeback; he shared that, still today, he is an eligible name.

“If they were to call me right about now, I would be ready,” he shared. “Given the fact that I understand the game, third-down and red-zone situations, I think that’s where I would really offer some help. I would be advantageous.”

That’s how Owens thinks that his NFL chapter remained unfinished.