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Antonio Brown continues to be the talk of the NFL, even after being out of the league for the past five weeks. The perennial All-Pro wideout, who was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oakland Raiders during the offseason, then released and signed with the New England Patriots before they cut him on September 20, has had quite the 2019 so far; and it looks like there could be another chapter written in the bizarre saga.
Although Antonio Brown has only played in one game this season — a Patriots victory over the lifeless Miami Dolphins — and has been a complete headache for every single team he’s been a part of, there seems to be speculation that some contending teams could be interested in adding the mercurial wide receiver. That’s the report coming from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who said that there’s momentum from a few franchises to get Brown back into the league soon, with several teams eyeing after the NFL Trade Deadline to approach him.
Per CBS Sports:
Despite a bizarre and unprecedented September that included him being embroiled in an sexual assault civil suit and getting quickly released by two teams, league sources said that numerous teams are keeping a close eye on Antonio Brown, and a return to the NFL after the trade deadline would not come as a surprise.
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He has kept a lower profile in recent weeks, however, and there are a handful of contending teams fairly desperate and motivated to upgrade at the receiver spot, and Brown’s name has come up in internal discussions in several personnel meetings, sources said.
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Once the deadline passes, expect interest to pick up for Brown, who, despite still being the focus of a league investigation into the various allegations against him, made an immediate impact in the one game he played in New England and would be a substantial upgrade over many starting receivers, assuming he manages to actually stay on a roster. Besides the Patriots, the 49ers, Saints, Ravens, Colts and Packers are contending teams that could benefit by the addition of another pass catching option.
According to La Canfora, players like A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals, Emmanuel Sanders of the Denver Broncos and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals could all be moved by the trade deadline, which is next Tuesday, October 29. And, if that should happen, those teams, in addition to the ones mentioned above, could see Antonio Brown as an option to fill a void at the position.
However, given the seriousness of the sexual assault allegations against him, as well as his almost bi-polar behavior, it might be too much of a gamble for an NFL team to touch Antonio Brown with a 10-foot pole until things get ironed out a little bit more. Let’s face it, he’s got all the talent in the world, but he’s been an absolute head case ever since late last season with the Steelers, so what team really wants to deal with such drama day in and day out?