Now there are some. It is now believed that the Miami Dolphins could be serious contenders for the former All-Pro wide receiver.
According to Omar Kelly's latest column on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Dolphins are still looking for receivers and Ochocinco could be one of their guys.
Team GM Jeff Ireland hasn't ruled out any chances of going after another receiver to help out rookie Ryan Tannehill, especially with the latest trade of sending Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears. Ochocinco may not be the No. 1 receiver he used to be, but he can at least help them, as he obviously still has some left in the tank.
There is also now a possibility of Ochocinco having a reunion with the Cincinnati Bengals, too. Ochocinco played for Cincy in his first 10 seasons of his career before bolting to the Patriots. The Bengals could be interested, as they have been linked to Braylon Edwards as well.
Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer noted that it is a possibility, but it may not seem likely. Ochocinco had some troubles with head coach Marvin Lewis before, as both sometimes jawed at each other on the sidelines. He categorizes such a reunion as "unlikely."
ESPN Insider's Tim Kavanagh made an interesting point of why Ochocinco may not be likely for the Bengals:
If it was the old, game-breaking Ochocinco of whom we were speaking, Lewis and the Bengals might be able to overlook the rough history. But given that it's not, a reunion seems like a far-fetched notion at this point.
However, it is still a possibility. If they are going for Edwards, then they must have had at least a tiny chance of considering bringing back the guy who brought so much excitement to their team for the 10 seasons.
I still think Ochocinco can go back and put up productive numbers. I think the only reason he really struggled last year was because he just couldn't follow the team's playbook. It might have been too hard or complicated for him -- who knows?
But I bet once he goes to a new team, we could see the Chad of old.
We'll see what happens, but first he needs to find a team.
Josh Dhani is the founder of FootBasket. He also contributes at Hoops Authority and Eight Points Nine Seconds. You can read more about him at his website. Follow him on Twitter @joshdhani.
