Chicago Bears Rumors: Terrell Owens To Bears? Chicago Interested In Drafting Notre Dame's Manti Te'o?

Terrell Owens and Manti Te’o have been two of the most controversial names in football over the last several years. Now, both players have been linked to the Chicago Bears.

Owens hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2010, but the former wide receiver has made no secret that he wants to return to the gridiron.

The ex-football star told Comcast SportsNet Chicago's David Kaplan on Friday that he can envision a scenario in which he’s back on the field in 2013. Owens played under current Bears head coach Marc Trestman in 1996 when he was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.

"I played my first early years in San Francisco with (Trestman) and shortly after that, he left to do some things," Owens said. "I haven't talked to Marc in a long while. I know he's gone on and done some things, now he's back in the NFL. So, I never really thought about it until myself and Napoleon (Harris) were talking about it earlier, but I would definitely welcome it if they would give it some serious consideration.”

The Bears haven’t made any indications that they are looking to sign Owens. The wide out caught 72 passes in 2010 for the Cincinnati Bengals, but he hasn’t played in the NFL since.

Drafting Te’o wouldn’t be as controversial as signing Owens, but it would be one of the most talked about decisions on Thursday. A recent mock draft in the Chicago Tribune had the Notre Dame product going to the Bears at No.20 in the first round.

Despite his poor performance in the BCS National Championship game against Alabama, there’s a good chance Te’o will be selected on Day One. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and could help fill the need left by free agent Brian Urlacher.

Chicago’s NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings have also been linked to the linebacker.