As we see it, eight possible destinations for T.O.

When evaluating the possible NFL matches for recently released wide receiver Terrell Owens, first throw out any team employing a coach with direct ties to the Bill Parcells, Andy Reid, or Bill Walsh trees. Owens' name is mud in all three camps. Rule out places like Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and San Diego, where the likes of the Rooney family, Bill Polian, and A.J. Smith, respectively, aren't having any of T.O.'s shenanigans. Finally, eliminate (with some hesitation, based on the way GMs and coaches have been known to mislead) those who have explicity stated they have no interest in Owens since he hit the waiver wire. (Though Owens was reportedly spotted in Nashville this morning, we'll take the Titans at their word that they're not interested, at the moment.) Here's what you're left with, in order of most likely to least likely destinations:

1. Raiders - Did Owens wear out his welcome in the Bay Area? We may soon find out, because the Raiders need receiving help in a major way and don't generally care about a) overpaying declining players or b) character issues. Owens may not be thrilled with catching balls from JaMarcus Russell, but the Silver and Black could end up as his highest bidder/most interested suitor.

2. Bears - Some in the Chicagoland media have immediately dismissed the notion of Owens in a Bears uniform as ridiculous, but it's somewhat telling that we've yet to hear from GM Jerry Angelo or head coach Lovie Smith on the subject. This team perpetually needs receiving help, the lights would be bright enough in the Chicago media market to suit Owens, and Angelo and Smith don't have such job security that they can afford to dismiss the notion out of hand.

3. Bills - Other than maybe Green Bay, there wouldn't be a more incongruous match than the City of Buffalo and Terrell Owens. But the Bills are another target-challenged team with a coach and offensive coordinator on the hot seat, so they may try to get involved. Whether Owens would listen remains a major question, however.

4. Lions - Calvin Johnson is the main man in Detroit, but there's not much to complement him. Neither head coach Jim Schwartz nor offensive coordinator Scott Linehan have any direct links to Owens or his former troubles, and remember that Linehan once worked generally well with Randy Moss in Minnesota. Would Detroit throw a great deal more money at the wide receiver position? Would Owens consider moving to a rebuilding team? Two big questions.

5. Bengals - Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens on the same team? They would have to widen the doorways at the team's facility in order to accomodate both heads. But we know the Bengals don't care much about character, and we also know they just lost T.J. Houshmandzadeh to free agency. Of course, Cincinnati also isn't big on breaking out the checkbook.

6. Buccaneers - There is a loose tie between new Bucs OC Jeff Jagodzinski and some former T.O. troubles (Jagodzinski coached under former Atlanta OC Greg Knapp, who was a target of some Owens tirades while in San Francisco), but Tampa is not exactly rich in receiving talent and has a ton of money to spend. It looks like the team is set with Antonio Bryant as their No. 1 receiver, but you never know.

7. Panthers - Carolina appears pretty well set at receiver with Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad, but John Fox needs to win this year and doesn't have any close links to Owens and his past problems. A long shot, but you can't rule it out as of yet.

8. Cardinals - This would never have been a possibility had former T.O. nemesis Todd Haley not left for Kansas City, and is still a major long shot. Why would Arizona pay T.O. when they don't want to pay Anquan Boldin? Well, if they end up moving Boldin, inking Owens to a one-year "show-me" deal doesn't seem out of the question. And, for the chance to play with Kurt Warner in a pass-heavy offense, Owens just might take less money to rejuvenate his career.

Also, watch out for those Titans, who would have been high on this list had The Tennessean not reported that the team was uninterested.