"As much as some fans would love to see a reunion between the Bengals and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, coach Marvin Lewis doused any hopes of that happening, especially with the makeup of the current receiving corps.

"If our team were constituted differently this would be a great spot for him to be back at," Lewis said. "But right now where we are, I don't know that it would be good for him in respect to where we are."

With Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens and Jordan Shipley as the top three receivers, it would be hard to see how the 10-year veteran could crack that lineup. Houshmandzadeh left Cincinnati last year in free agency to sign with Seattle, but a change in regimes from Jim Mora to Pete Carroll caused him to be swept out.

Lewis said that he spoke with Houshmandzadeh via text messages and that he has been contacted by other teams about him.

"It's unfortunate that T.J. got released. He's going to get another opportunity. He'll make the most of that opportunity and I'll be happy for him," Lewis said. "I had people call and contact me as far as T.J. and I gave him a true, honest appraisal and a very honest one. T.J. helped us get where we are today. He's a good, young pro and a good man and he did a lot of good leading in this building."

When asked if the Bengals had or would at least consider signing Houshmandzadeh, Lewis said: "Well, you consider anything. Other than a hole in the head. I don't know if that might be close.""