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WR Antonio Brown, FA (2 Viewers)

Ian Rapoport‏ @RapSheet 2m2 minutes ago

One takeaway from Combine week in Indy: The #Steelers have enough interest in WR Antonio Brown to be able to trade him before March 17, sources say. The #Raiders, #Broncos, and #AZCardinals are among the teams who have appeared the most intrigued.

 
It's going to take a badly run organization to give up a decent pick for this clown. Just reading excerpts of his espn interview, saying he will do things on his terms and no one else's. He will be an absolute cancer wherever he ends up.

 
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In theory, every player should want to lower their trade value as long as it doesn't hurt their contract.  Would you rather go to a contending team with a late first or a bad team with an early first?  Would you rather go to a team with a first round pick or one that traded theirs away to get you? 

I wonder if that's his plan here, just giving the steelers the bird on the way out the door?

 
I wonder if that's his plan here, just giving the steelers the bird on the way out the door?
If he has a plan I think it's just making sure one way or another they let him go, via trade or cut. I don't think he cares any if he draws back a 1st or a 7th, just whatever it takes to get out of Pittsburgh, go to preferred destination.

It's why I thought people made way to much out of his comment yesterday about not needing football.  Twitter/social media army came out in full force to show their disgust but all dude was trying to do is threaten to not play if he's not traded or traded to a team he likes or is willing to redo some aspects of his contract. He's just trying to scrap for whatever leverage he can since he's under contract for 3 more seasons. I don't think he's handling this the correct way,  but he's just trying to talk his way out of town.

I read Peter Kings piece this morning and below is an excerpt I tend to agree with, especially the bolded, again below is from Peter King, not me:

I keep thinking this about Brown’s situation: This too shall pass. His production over the last six years is peerless among NFL wideouts—his average season since 2013: 114 catches, 1,524 yards, 11 touchdowns—and I have not seen a player work at his craft harder than Brown does. I watched him at Steelers camp the last two summers work on the JUGS machine catching extra footballs long after every other receiver had left the field, doing it at times with aides pinning one arm away from his catch-radius to simulate surviving interference. I’m not saying he won’t eventually find something to make him unhappy in his new surroundings, but he’ll be motivated to prove he’s still great and not a cancer. Brown to the Raiders for the 27th pick (the Amari Cooper pick from Dallas, ironically) sounds about right to me.

 
In theory, every player should want to lower their trade value as long as it doesn't hurt their contract. 
Well except if you're trying to get traded and your current team won't to send you away for a case of beer.

 
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In theory, every player should want to lower their trade value as long as it doesn't hurt their contract.  Would you rather go to a contending team with a late first or a bad team with an early first?  Would you rather go to a team with a first round pick or one that traded theirs away to get you? 

I wonder if that's his plan here, just giving the steelers the bird on the way out the door?
But a bad team could trade an early second round pick worth almost as much as a late first. Plus a bad team would probably have no qualms about throwing in another mid to late round pick, so that option would probably be better (say picks 36 and 105 from SFO would be better than pick 30 from GB).

 
Was not a playoff game and not how it went down.

Everyone wants to win, it's just a matter of where it falls on the priority scale.
It was a must-win game that his team needed to win to make the playoffs.  

AB got his feelings hurt at Wednesday practice when Big Ben yelled at him and claimed to have an injury.  Tomlin told him to go home for the day and report the next to get an MRI.  AB failed to do that and went AWOL for a couple of days, not answering repeated calls by the coach.  On Sunday his agent called the coach to tell him the player was going to play.   Tomlin told him that is not how it worked and if reported he would not play.   

That is how it went down.

 
It was a must-win game that his team needed to win to make the playoffs.  

AB got his feelings hurt at Wednesday practice when Big Ben yelled at him and claimed to have an injury.  Tomlin told him to go home for the day and report the next to get an MRI.  AB failed to do that and went AWOL for a couple of days, not answering repeated calls by the coach.  On Sunday his agent called the coach to tell him the player was going to play.   Tomlin told him that is not how it worked and if reported he would not play.   

That is how it went down.
They won and did not advance. Was not a playoff game.

You have zero idea if AB had was hurting or not. None.  You are speculating. No idea if he got his feelings hurt.  Again running with speculation.  All we know for sure if he told Tomlin he was hurting and was told to go home.

I've never heard Tomlin or anyone verify he told him to report the next day. What I have heard is the only thing AB actually missed was the Saturday walk through. Not AWOL for a few days, missed Saturday walk through.

He was at the stadium and available to play Sunday. Tomlin said no thanks.

That is how it went down.

 
It was a must-win game that his team needed to win to make the playoffs.  

AB got his feelings hurt at Wednesday practice when Big Ben yelled at him and claimed to have an injury.  Tomlin told him to go home for the day and report the next to get an MRI.  AB failed to do that and went AWOL for a couple of days, not answering repeated calls by the coach.  On Sunday his agent called the coach to tell him the player was going to play.   Tomlin told him that is not how it worked and if reported he would not play.   

That is how it went down.
This is all correct. He went into hiding because he wasn’t MVP. 

 
They won and did not advance. Was not a playoff game.

You have zero idea if AB had was hurting or not. None.  You are speculating. No idea if he got his feelings hurt.  Again running with speculation.  All we know for sure if he told Tomlin he was hurting and was told to go home.

I've never heard Tomlin or anyone verify he told him to report the next day. What I have heard is the only thing AB actually missed was the Saturday walk through. Not AWOL for a few days, missed Saturday walk through.

He was at the stadium and available to play Sunday. Tomlin said no thanks.

That is how it went down.
What are you talking about?  He 100% was scheduled for an MRI on Friday, and he did not show up.  Then when coaches reached out to him, he did not respond.  He was radio silent until his AGENT reached out to Tomlin on GAMEDAY.   That is what happened.  The ONLY discrepancy is what happened at practice earlier in the week during the drill -- did he throw a ball at Ben's head, was there an argument, etc.  

 
What are you talking about?  He 100% was scheduled for an MRI on Friday, and he did not show up.  Then when coaches reached out to him, he did not respond.  He was radio silent until his AGENT reached out to Tomlin on GAMEDAY.   That is what happened.  The ONLY discrepancy is what happened at practice earlier in the week during the drill -- did he throw a ball at Ben's head, was there an argument, etc.  
I've seen a lot of different stuff reported. I've seen nothing that backs up the story that he was supposed to get an MRI but no showed. If you can find someone from Steelers or AB backing that up it's just more wild speculation. Either way some of you, like you, are not able to differentiate between missing practice and missing a game.

I'm done with this subject because I've covered it ad naseaum weeks ago.

If Tomlin had let him play he'd have played. I'll to to my grave saying that's not making yourself unavailable to play or quitting on the team but to each their own.

 
I've seen a lot of different stuff reported. I've seen nothing that backs up the story that he was supposed to get an MRI but no showed. If you can find someone from Steelers or AB backing that up it's just more wild speculation. Either way some of you, like you, are not able to differentiate between missing practice and missing a game.

I'm done with this subject because I've covered it ad naseaum weeks ago.

If Tomlin had let him play he'd have played. I'll to to my grave saying that's not making yourself unavailable to play or quitting on the team but to each their own.
You really expect a coach to allow a player to skip practices for several days, not answer his calls, and then play him when he shows up on Sunday?   

 
From Rotoworld:

https://www.rotoworld.com/football/nfl/player/11415/antonio-brown

NBC Denver's Mike Klis reports the Broncos are not interested in trading for Antonio Brown.

Klis said he got an "emphatic" no on the matter last week and nothing has changed since. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Broncos were "among the teams who have appeared the most intrigued." The Broncos have a desperate, desperate need at receiver.

RELATED: 

Denver Broncos

SOURCE: Mike Klis on Twitter

Mar 4, 2019, 11:32 AM

 
They won and did not advance. Was not a playoff game.

You have zero idea if AB had was hurting or not. None.  You are speculating. No idea if he got his feelings hurt.  Again running with speculation.  All we know for sure if he told Tomlin he was hurting and was told to go home.

I've never heard Tomlin or anyone verify he told him to report the next day. What I have heard is the only thing AB actually missed was the Saturday walk through. Not AWOL for a few days, missed Saturday walk through.

He was at the stadium and available to play Sunday. Tomlin said no thanks.

That is how it went down.
AB said it himself in the interview.

 
You really expect a coach to allow a player to skip practices for several days, not answer his calls, and then play him when he shows up on Sunday?   
I really think AB had been allowed to get away with so much he thought that to be the case.

Also he did not skip practice for a few days,  at most only unexcused practice he missed was the Saturday walk thru.

 
AB said it himself in the interview.
Right and not sure if you caught the context of why I said that but it was to say he was actually hurting and that, not having his feelings hurt, was the reason he left practice. I just assumed Leroy is saying AB is lying. He might be. I don't know.

 
I really think AB had been allowed to get away with so much he thought that to be the case.

Also he did not skip practice for a few days,  at most only unexcused practice he missed was the Saturday walk thru.
The drama in Pittsburgh apparently started during a walk-through practice on Wednesday when Brown got into a heated dispute with an unnamed teammate. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora has reported that the unnamed teammate was Roethlisberger. Things apparently got so ugly that Brown picked up a football and chucked it at Big Ben. 

lthough the Steelers' injury report indicated that Brown was having an issue with his knee, the report also said that he missed practice due to a "coach's decision." As it turns out though, it was his own decision to miss practice. According to the Post-Gazette, Brown skipped practice for the rest of the week following the dispute with Roethlisberger and didn't even bother showing up for the team's walk-through practice on Saturday. 

The craziest part of this situation is that despite all of this, Brown apparently still showed up to Heinz Field on Sunday expecting to play. When he found out he was going to be inactive, he stayed at the stadium until halftime, but then decided to leave Heinz Field, even though the Steelers were trailing 10-3 and their playoff hopes were on the line. 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/antonio-brown-refused-to-practice-in-week-17-after-heated-dispute-with-ben-roethlisberger/

 
Do you really want to play this game? You don't think I can't find articles or interviews all over that state his only unexused absence was the walk through? I mean we just covered a conversation where you are highlighting AB saying he was hurt.  So was he hurt and home with an injury, as he was allowed, or did he go AWOL all week?  Those are not the same things. It's one or the other, you are actually arguing both at this point. Pick a side for christ's sake.

 
From Peter Kings FMIA today ...

"

There is real competition for Antonio Brown on the trade market, and I expect the Steelers to trade him as early as this week—but almost certainly before the March 17 deadline to pay Brown a $2.5 million roster bonus. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Brown’s chief suitors were Oakland, Tennessee and Washington, and I heard Saturday night there could be at least one more serious team. What Schefter’s three teams have in common: a strong head coach (Jon Gruden, Mike Vrabel, Jay Gruden) who won’t be afraid of bringing an incendiary device like Brown into the locker room. My gut feeling is the Steelers will get the first-round pick they’ve been angling to get for Brown, who turns 31 in July.

“ 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/04/kyler-murray-nfl-combine-notes-fmia-peter-king/?cid=rotoworld

 
From Peter Kings FMIA today ...

"

There is real competition for Antonio Brown on the trade market, and I expect the Steelers to trade him as early as this week—but almost certainly before the March 17 deadline to pay Brown a $2.5 million roster bonus. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Brown’s chief suitors were Oakland, Tennessee and Washington, and I heard Saturday night there could be at least one more serious team. What Schefter’s three teams have in common: a strong head coach (Jon Gruden, Mike Vrabel, Jay Gruden) who won’t be afraid of bringing an incendiary device like Brown into the locker room. My gut feeling is the Steelers will get the first-round pick they’ve been angling to get for Brown, who turns 31 in July.

“ 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/04/kyler-murray-nfl-combine-notes-fmia-peter-king/?cid=rotoworld
Nothing like a season with Colt McCoy or half a season with Blaine Gabbert to cure the "I hate my QB" blues. 

 
menobrown said:
Do you really want to play this game? You don't think I can't find articles or interviews all over that state his only unexused absence was the walk through? I mean we just covered a conversation where you are highlighting AB saying he was hurt.  So was he hurt and home with an injury, as he was allowed, or did he go AWOL all week?  Those are not the same things. It's one or the other, you are actually arguing both at this point. Pick a side for christ's sake.
All of the reports that I have read said he was held out of practice on Thursday after complaining about his knee and was told to report for an MRI on Friday.   He blew off the doctor's appointment and skipped Saturday's walk-through practice and the meeting Saturday night at the team hotel.  He did not answer phone calls from the team and his agent called Tomlin Sunday morning to tell him his client would be able to play. 

I am sorry I've gotten you so upset.  

 
All of the reports that I have read said he was held out of practice on Thursday after complaining about his knee and was told to report for an MRI on Friday.   He blew off the doctor's appointment and skipped Saturday's walk-through practice and the meeting Saturday night at the team hotel.  He did not answer phone calls from the team and his agent called Tomlin Sunday morning to tell him his client would be able to play. 

I am sorry I've gotten you so upset.  
Who said I'm upset.

I've read he was excused from practice Thursday AND Friday.  I really don't know if he was really hurting or not but it was excused. One of many things I was trying to grasp in AB's televised appearances from this weekend was that both times he seemed to take issue with Tomlin telling him to "go home" when he said he was hurt. I've been trying to get my head around that and wondering what tone could that have been said that seems to have caused AB to actually take it as some kind of insult? All I know is I've seen different reports about what happened at that Wednesday practice and whether he really went AWOL until Sunday morning or just missed Saturday walk thru.

But all really beside the point of the discussion if he quit or was not available to play. I'm not in the least saying Tomlin was wrong to not play him, but as I said in reply to your question earlier I honestly believe AB thought he would be playing that Sunday. He'd had a pattern of getting away with things and likely thought he could again, that no way they'd not play him in a big game.  That may sound like irrational thinking, these last few months should show you that's not his strong skill set.

 
Who said I'm upset.

I've read he was excused from practice Thursday AND Friday.  I really don't know if he was really hurting or not but it was excused. One of many things I was trying to grasp in AB's televised appearances from this weekend was that both times he seemed to take issue with Tomlin telling him to "go home" when he said he was hurt. I've been trying to get my head around that and wondering what tone could that have been said that seems to have caused AB to actually take it as some kind of insult? All I know is I've seen different reports about what happened at that Wednesday practice and whether he really went AWOL until Sunday morning or just missed Saturday walk thru.

But all really beside the point of the discussion if he quit or was not available to play. I'm not in the least saying Tomlin was wrong to not play him, but as I said in reply to your question earlier I honestly believe AB thought he would be playing that Sunday. He'd had a pattern of getting away with things and likely thought he could again, that no way they'd not play him in a big game.  That may sound like irrational thinking, these last few months should show you that's not his strong skill set.
Fair enough.

 
Who said I'm upset.

I've read he was excused from practice Thursday AND Friday.  I really don't know if he was really hurting or not but it was excused. One of many things I was trying to grasp in AB's televised appearances from this weekend was that both times he seemed to take issue with Tomlin telling him to "go home" when he said he was hurt. I've been trying to get my head around that and wondering what tone could that have been said that seems to have caused AB to actually take it as some kind of insult? All I know is I've seen different reports about what happened at that Wednesday practice and whether he really went AWOL until Sunday morning or just missed Saturday walk thru.

But all really beside the point of the discussion if he quit or was not available to play. I'm not in the least saying Tomlin was wrong to not play him, but as I said in reply to your question earlier I honestly believe AB thought he would be playing that Sunday. He'd had a pattern of getting away with things and likely thought he could again, that no way they'd not play him in a big game.  That may sound like irrational thinking, these last few months should show you that's not his strong skill set.
What I was contesting in your previous post, and what you are still ignoring now, is that he also skipped out on the MRI on Friday and then did not respond to anybody when they reached out to him about that.

 
What I was contesting in your previous post, and what you are still ignoring now, is that he also skipped out on the MRI on Friday and then did not respond to anybody when they reached out to him about that.
Not ignoring it, saying I'm not sure that's how it went down. Felt I've been pretty clear about that.

 
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menobrown said:
They won and did not advance. Was not a playoff game.

You have zero idea if AB had was hurting or not. None.  You are speculating. No idea if he got his feelings hurt.  Again running with speculation.  All we know for sure if he told Tomlin he was hurting and was told to go home.

I've never heard Tomlin or anyone verify he told him to report the next day. What I have heard is the only thing AB actually missed was the Saturday walk through. Not AWOL for a few days, missed Saturday walk through.

He was at the stadium and available to play Sunday. Tomlin said no thanks.

That is how it went down.


Seems like you are doing more speculating than anyone else.

 
I love this.  The Broncos and Cardinals who were mentioned as being involved earlier have both explicitly and clearly denied any interest through reports by local beat writers.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it but the emphatic denial made it seem like they were insulted to be mentioned. 

This situation is almost a barometer of organizational competence.  The good organizations are going to stay away from this guy, and he's probably too old to fit into any of the bad organizations' plans. 

 
kittenmittens said:
I love this.  The Broncos and Cardinals who were mentioned as being involved earlier have both explicitly and clearly denied any interest through reports by local beat writers.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it but the emphatic denial made it seem like they were insulted to be mentioned. 

This situation is almost a barometer of organizational competence.  The good organizations are going to stay away from this guy, and he's probably too old to fit into any of the bad organizations' plans. 
The reality is that with Brown’s age, teams wanting to trade for him SHOULD be close to winning by all, where they feel like AB will help get them to that next level.  Giving up a pick for a player like that, who will be reasonably priced (as his salary the next few years isn’t crazy, as I believe Pitt will have to eat the pro-rated signing bonuses, while the team trading for him is responsible for any salary and yearly bonuses; I think those are all in the sub $14M range) is a smart move.

However, AB already talking about wanting more guaranteed $$, and how a new team must play by his rules, and he doesn’t have to play football?  Those comments should scare away good teams who feel like they are just a piece away.  

So, with that said, I predict my Redskins and that idiot Snyder will trade for AB and give him a ridiculous new contract, then stick with Colt McCoy st QB🤮

 
Somethings up when a team is snubbing it’s 2 best offensive players, who are the two most productive players at their position in the last few years in the entire league, but no one is like “what are the Steelers doing!?!?!?” That’s crazy to me, but I and I’m sure all of you don’t blame the steelers in either case. 

 
Somethings up when a team is snubbing it’s 2 best offensive players, who are the two most productive players at their position in the last few years in the entire league, but no one is like “what are the Steelers doing!?!?!?” That’s crazy to me, but I and I’m sure all of you don’t blame the steelers in either case. 
The Steelers look bad in stroking Ben’s ego too much, but all in all I think the Steelers come out of this looking just fine. Is anyone else not impressed they could keep AB’s insanity a secret for so long? He may literally never take another NFL snap.

 As for Bell, they didn’t agree on a price and it is what it is. Paying RBs is bad business and especially one’s coming off back to back 400 touch seasons. Please tell me how Le’Veon’s best football is yet to come in year 7 and beyond  

 
Somethings up when a team is snubbing it’s 2 best offensive players, who are the two most productive players at their position in the last few years in the entire league, but no one is like “what are the Steelers doing!?!?!?” That’s crazy to me, but I and I’m sure all of you don’t blame the steelers in either case. 
Who is snubbing who? Getting quite tired of these posts. The Steelers have done nothing but take care of their own for the two decades I’ve been actively watching football in my lifetime. AB is very well compensated and forced volume no other WR in the league gets, hell, gets treatment no other player in the league gets. Lev Bell was offered a more than fair deal two years in a row. Some around here don’t want to think so but are the same type of people who argue for Bell’s fully guaranteed contract and then run off to the political forum to argue to tax him 70%. You can’t win. Steelers are one of the finest organizations in the league though. Far from the Rooney’s fault Bell decided he wanted to go #### around with c-section strippers and jet skis during the season and AB lost his ####### mind.

 
Who is snubbing who? Getting quite tired of these posts. The Steelers have done nothing but take care of their own for the two decades I’ve been actively watching football in my lifetime. AB is very well compensated and forced volume no other WR in the league gets, hell, gets treatment no other player in the league gets. Lev Bell was offered a more than fair deal two years in a row. Some around here don’t want to think so but are the same type of people who argue for Bell’s fully guaranteed contract and then run off to the political forum to argue to tax him 70%. You can’t win. Steelers are one of the finest organizations in the league though. Far from the Rooney’s fault Bell decided he wanted to go #### around with c-section strippers and jet skis during the season and AB lost his ####### mind.
The Steelers aren't perfect and but the Bell situation was clearly a case of a player wanting more than the team was willing to offer.  The AB situation is odd to me.    Brown wants a new deal and knows that because he is signed for three more years there is no way of getting it by remaining a Steeler.   My guess is that he created this mess to orchestrate a trade to get more money.  Either that or he is experiencing mental health issues because nothing else makes sense.

 
Somethings up when a team is snubbing it’s 2 best offensive players, who are the two most productive players at their position in the last few years in the entire league, but no one is like “what are the Steelers doing!?!?!?” That’s crazy to me, but I and I’m sure all of you don’t blame the steelers in either case. 
And the Steelers won absolutely NOTHING with those 2 on the team. Good luck to the bonehead team that trades for this clown. 

 
The Steelers aren't perfect and but the Bell situation was clearly a case of a player wanting more than the team was willing to offer.  The AB situation is odd to me.    Brown wants a new deal and knows that because he is signed for three more years there is no way of getting it by remaining a Steeler.   My guess is that he created this mess to orchestrate a trade to get more money.  Either that or he is experiencing mental health issues because nothing else makes sense.
I guess my point was moreso, I don’t know what else could be done in either scenario. You have the Rams assuredly regretting Gurley’s contract now that he has arthritis, the Cardinals didn’t even know how to utilize DJ and Bell’s production was almost identically produced by Conner/Samuels. I don’t think the team would have regretted him signing a long term deal but here we are and I don’t see how he has more value than two years ago or last offseason. 

As for AB, I think there may be some truth when he says he was told it’s ok to go home. Ok, dumb on Tomlin’s part but what athlete in their right mind says: ya, playoffs on the line... I’m going home. Not good optics for either. That being said I think Mr. Rooney went above and beyond extending a publicly known meeting with AB and then saying he would move forward with meeting his request for a trade. Tells me he wanted to right the situation but what is burned down is burned down. 

Whether non-Steelers fans like it or not there is a laundry list of active and non active Steelers who have either sided with the organization or a history of staying connected to the Franchise. Even the clown Harrison sure seems to like coming to alumni events and make his presence known. 

 
Pitt: there is a mystery team offering a first! Let's see your best offer. 

Everyone else: OK, take the mystery team offer.

Pitt: Crap... 

 
“Snubbing” was a poor choice of words- the fact that they are moving on in such drastic seeming ways, not that they have much choice. Take any other team in the league and their two top producers were both leaving at the same time, and the fan base would probably be flipping out. I don’t think the Steelers have played any of this wrong. The fact that contract negotiations dissolved  for one and the team is actively shopping the other usually would have a fan base feeling pretty uneasy about how the team is being managed. Not every team has Conner and juju waiting in the wings, but I can’t imagine many teams where this wouldn’t be a big deal, but it isn’t for the Steelers. 

 
I hope they trade him to a team that immediately flips him to one of the teams they wouldn't trade him to. 
At this point if the Steelers get a high draft pick I don't care where he goes.   Just get rid of this malcontent and if a rival gets him then they can deal with his shenanigans.  

 

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