Tuesday, December 30, 2003
The controversial wide receiver is expected to try free agency.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- When the San Francisco 49ers gathered to clean out their lockers and say their final goodbyes in a voluntary team meeting Sunday, only Terrell Owens declined to attend.
Owens is expected to void the final three years of his contract and leave San Francisco as a free agent, so his absence wasn't surprising.
He arrived at the 49ers' training complex later, but had nothing to say to the reporters he has studiously avoided for years.
"I've washed my hands of you all," Owens said.
Owens' departure probably will be the biggest change for the 49ers (7-9), who wrapped up just their third losing season since 1983 with a 24-17 loss to Seattle on Saturday.
Coach Dennis Erickson has big plans for shaping up the 49ers during the offseason -- but they probably won't include Owens, even though the coach would love it if the four-time Pro Bowl selection returned. Almost nobody else thinks San Francisco will pay the hefty signing bonus and salary necessary to keep him.
"Will we be able to keep everybody? Probably not," Erickson said. "Would we like to? Yes. ... [Owens] is a free agent, and he's going to test the market, which he should. Hopefully, we can compete with that."
Different look coming
San Francisco will have a slightly different look on offense next season, whether or not Owens is involved.
After spending most of this season learning the 49ers' hallowed schemes and terminology, Erickson plans to be much more involved in the game plan next season -- and he plans to tweak the West Coast offense even more.
He might push the 49ers to abandon their tailback platoon, in which Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow shared playing time until Hearst missed the final four games with injuries. Barlow finished strong, completing the first 1,000-yard season of his career.
"I'd like to establish a running back, and Kevan has kind of stepped up," Erickson said. "We won't make that decision until we see what we have. ... Re-signing our own free agents is our No. 1 priority."
In other words, Hearst probably is among the 49ers' most expendable veterans as they work on ways to keep as many of their free agents as possible.
Main target
Linebacker Julian Peterson is the biggest target, but cornerback Ahmed Plummer and receiver Tai Streets are among a group that the 49ers hope to persuade to return.
Peterson, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, also plans to test the free-agent market, but he sounds much more interested in returning than Owens.
"You work all your life to get to this point," Peterson said. "My time is now. This is a chance to see how the rest of the league feels about me. ... I'm not a guy where I just abandon people. I'm pretty loyal. Obviously, [San Francisco] is my first choice."
Several players are scheduled for surgery: tight end Eric Johnson, defensive tackle Bryant Young, running back Terry Jackson, tackle Kwame Harris, receiver Arnaz Battle, guard Eric Heitmann, linebacker Brandon Moore and center Jeremy Newberry, who needs work on his ankle and his shoulder.
But the hurts from the 49ers' inconsistent, unremarkable season might not heal until next September.
"Any time you're 7-9, none of us have done the best job that we can do, no question," Erickson said. "We're disappointed. We thought we'd be better than that."