Less than a week after Brenden Rice and Terique Owens shared the field for a preseason finale between the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers, the sons of Pro Football Hall of Fame receivers Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens were waived by their respective teams.
Rice was cut by the Chargers, and Owens was cut by the 49ers, however, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, both wideouts could end up on the practice squads of the teams that waived them.
Their meeting this past Saturday took place in San Francisco, where their fathers starred for the 49ers, with Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens overlapping from 1996-2000. The former was a three-time Super Bowl champion and remains the NFL's all-time leading receiver, whereas the latter was a five-time first-team All-Pro who led the league in touchdown receptions three times.
Brenden Rice and Terique Owens are on their own NFL journeys, each of which hit a speed bump this week as the 2025 regular season approaches.
Rice was a seventh-round draft choice of the Chargers last year. He appeared in three games as a rookie, except he logged just 13 snaps, including 10 on special teams. Rice didn't record a reception in those outings.
This preseason, the former Colorado and USC receiver caught three passes for 32 yards. He was targeted 10 times, though. Against the 49ers, he was targeted five times yet had just one catch for seven yards.
Owens stood out more in the preseason finale. In fact, he reeled in his first NFL touchdown. Late in the fourth quarter, 49ers quarterback Carter Bradley rolled out and located Owens for a 22-yard score.
That was the highlight of the 25-year-old's two-catch, 39-yard preseason, and it was the latest chapter of a winding football career that previously saw him scatter six college seasons at Contra Costa Community College, Florida Atlantic and Missouri State.
Owens was a member of the 49ers' practice squad last season. He could be brought back there this time around if he clears waivers.
Both he and Rice will continue to try to prove they belong in the league their fathers once dominated.
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