Antonio Brown - Pro Football Rumors

Antonio Brown Not Expected To Play In 2019

November 10th, 2019 at 10:06am CST by Rory Parks

Given where we are in the season and in the league’s investigation of Antonio Brown, this will hardly come as a surprise, but sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that Brown is not expected to play again this season.

We heard several days ago that Brown would finally meet with the NFL this Thursday as part of the league’s investigation into the sexual assault/rape allegations that two women have made against him. For some time, it was believed that the interview with Brown would be the last step in the investigation, but Schefter says that Brown has yet to turn over some of the evidence that the NFL is seeking.

Schefter says that three teams have been in contact with Brown — one of which may be the Seahawks — but otherwise, his report largely reiterates what we already know. For instance, if a team were to sign Brown, the league would be prepared to place him on the commissioner’s exempt list until the investigation is over, meaning that the acquiring team would be paying him to sit on the sidelines.

Plus, at least some teams believe that Brown will be hit with a suspension once the investigation has concluded, so even if the league was prepared to make a finding and impose discipline as soon as the interview with Brown is over — which is clearly not the case — Brown may not be eligible to play in 2019 anyway. Indeed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the league’s meeting with Brown will take place in South Florida and not NFL headquarters in New York, which suggests that the league is still in fact-finding mode.

Brown says he is determined to return to the NFL, but it seems as though that will happen at some point in 2020, not 2019. In the meantime, AB will have plenty of things to worry about, including the lawsuit filed by one of his accusers, Britney Taylor. Per Schefter, Brown has now been served with the suit.

For what it’s worth, Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, continues to insist that Brown will suit up for an NFL team this year. Rosenhaus said, “I’m confident Antonio will play again this season. I believe the NFL should clear him after they interview him this week and I expect he will be signed shortly after that” (via Schefter on Twitter).

Antonio Brown “Determined” To Return To NFL

November 7th, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by Zachary Links

On Thursday, Antonio Brown lashed out at the NFL via social media and vowed to “never play” football again. Then, later in the day, he scrubbed those tweets and posts and told his followers that while he is “very frustrated,” he remains “determined” to return to the NFL.

Brown was left in limbo for a long time by the NFL, but there’s finally movement in his investigation. The wide receiver will meet with the league next week to discuss allegations of sexual assault and, reportedly, Brown is eager to give his side of the story.

Brown, one of the most accomplished offensive players in NFL history, has been accused of sexual misconduct by two different women. Teams still want to sign Brown, but they’re looking for clarity on his situation (suspension or no suspension) before signing him. If Brown is not suspended by the NFL, he’ll stand as the biggest potential upgrade on the open market for the final stretch of the season.

Meanwhile, Brown is battling for nearly $40MM in lost wages from the Patriots and Raiders.

Antonio Brown To Meet With NFL

November 7th, 2019 at 9:07am CST by Dallas Robinson

Embattled free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown is scheduled to meet with the NFL next Thursday, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Brown is reportedly “eager” to sit down with the league, and there are still teams with interest in signing the veteran wideout, per Anderson. The league’s investigation into Brown is not expected to be completed any time soon, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

The NFL and Brown had been at something of an impasse: clearly, no club was going to take a chance on adding Brown to its roster while investigations into rape/sexual assault allegations against him were still ongoing, but it was unclear if or when Brown would actually meet with the league. Any team that did sign Brown would have been taking the risk that he’d be placed on league-imposed leave as soon as the contract was signed.

As Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), Brown is up against the clock in terms of playing during 2019. There will seven weeks left in the regular season when Brown meets with the league, so a suspension of six games or longer would represent the de facto end of Brown’s season.

Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus has indicated a number of NFL teams have interest in signing his client, but thus far, only the Seahawks have been definitively linked to the ex-Steeler/Raider/Patriot. Seattle has since acquired another former Patriot — Josh Gordon — off waiver, making the Seahawks an unlikely destination for Brown.

Brown, 31, has caught 841 passes for 11,253 yards over the course of his ten-year career. The bulk of those catches and yards came between 2011 and 2018: he saw limited time as a sixth-round rookie with the Steelers and appeared in only one game for the Pats this year.

Seahawks Considered Signing Antonio Brown

November 3rd, 2019 at 10:13am CST by Rory Parks

The Seahawks surprised some folks when they claimed wide receiver Josh Gordon off waivers from the Patriots several days ago, and per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Seattle considered another talented former Patriot who has made plenty of headlines.

Schefter says the Seahawks did their due diligence on free agent Antonio Brown before making the decision to claim Gordon. He adds that QB Russell Wilson was actually lobbying the team to pull the trigger on Brown.

However, Seattle may have been wary of signing Brown because the league’s investigation into the sexual assault/rape allegations that he is facing is not complete. It seems that the only thing left to do in that regard is to interview Brown himself, but there is no indication as to when that interview will take place. If Brown were to sign with a club, the NFL would reportedly place him on the commissioner’s exempt list until its investigation is over, which means the acquiring team would be paying Brown to not play.

Brown has reportedly drawn interest from several clubs since his unceremonious ouster from New England, but the Seahawks are the first team to be definitively connected to AB. Schefter suggests that Seattle could circle back to Brown whenever the league’s investigation is over.

Meanwhile, Gordon will not be on the field for the Seahawks’ matchup against the Buccaneers today, but he is expected to make his Seattle debut against the division-rival 49ers next week.

Extra Points: Brady, Brown, Pettis

October 26th, 2019 at 9:18pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There’s been a lot of talk about Tom Brady‘s future recently, thanks to ESPN’s Adam Schefter hinting on this past week’s Monday Night Football broadcast that Brady might be eyeing a new team in 2020. Appearing on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ earlier this week Schefter doubled down, per Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. Schefter laid out the three possible options: Brady retiring, Brady returning to the Patriots in 2020, or Brady going to a new team. Schefter then said that “staying in New England, to me, would seem like the least likely option of the three.”

That’s a pretty bold statement to make, and Schefter is obviously one of the most well-connected people around the league so he wouldn’t say something like that lightly. The Patriots are coming off yet another Super Bowl win and have started the season 7-0, but thanks to a unique contract maneuver with voidable years, Brady is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2019 campaign. Brady’s deal includes a provision that precludes the Pats from franchise-tagging him, so he’s truly free to walk if he wants to. We’ll surely hear a lot more about his future with New England before the end of the season.

Here’s more from around the league on a quiet Saturday evening as we await kickoff:

Speaking of the Patriots, their former receiver Antonio Brown is still looking for work. It’s been made clear that Brown won’t be picked up before the league includes its investigation into his sexual assault allegations, and the two sides appear to be in a stalemate. Brown says he’s ready to interview with the league, people close to the embattled wideout told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, a separate source told Fowler that the league “feels like it’s waiting on Brown.” This type of confusion is par for the course for this whole saga. Meanwhile, Fowler notes that Brown continues to train on his own in Florida.
Dante Pettis was on the receiving end of a lot of hype this offseason, but the second-year pro hasn’t had the breakout campaign many were hoping for. The 49ers’ second-round pick last year, Pettis has been a bit of a disappointment. He’s been buried in San Francisco’s pecking order, and apparently he could be on the move. During a recent radio appearance, Sirius XM NFL Insider Adam Caplan said not to be surprised if the young receiver is traded at the deadline (Twitter link). There are a lot of teams in need of receiver help, and given Pettis’ age and the promise he flashed last season, the 49ers should be able to land a middle-round pick for him if they did decide to deal him. So far this season he has only nine catches for 83 yards and one touchdown.
In case you missed it, multiple teams are in on Kenyan Drake.

Latest On Antonio Brown

October 24th, 2019 at 8:23am CST by Zachary Links

There hasn’t been much movement on the NFL’s investigation of Antonio Brown. The league has yet to interview the former Patriots wide receiver, according to a source who spoke with PFT’s Mike Florio.

There are teams interested in signing Brown, but none of them are willing to add him to the roster while the investigation is still in progress. Meanwhile, the NFL hasn’t said whether Brown would be immediately placed on paid leave if he’s signed. Any team that were to sign Brown right now would risk having to pay him, without playing him, which is obviously unpalatable. If the NFL were to give clarity on that front, things might be different for the wide receiver, despite the enormous controversy surrounding him.

At least, that’s what agent Drew Rosenhaus is hoping for.

“It’s unfortunate things didn’t work out with the Patriots,” agent Drew Rosenhaus said in September. “But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon.”

Brown, 31, has caught 841 passes for 11,253 yards over the course of his ten-year career. The bulk of those catches and yards came between 2011 and 2018: he saw limited time as a sixth-round rookie with the Steelers and appeared in only one game for the Pats this year.

Antonio Brown Generating Interest; Latest On Grievance

October 20th, 2019 at 11:17am CST by Rory Parks

Wide receiver is one of the most coveted positions during the run-up to this year’s trade deadline, but with A.J. Green seemingly off the market, and given the uncertain availability of other big names like Emmanuel Sanders, WR-needy teams that are unable to swing a trade prior to October 29 may turn to another option.

Indeed, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says a number of teams are keeping a close eye on Antonio Brown, and his name has come up in internal personnel meetings. Once the trade deadline passes, La Canfora’s sources expect interest in Brown to further intensify.

Of course, the league has not yet interviewed Brown regarding the sexual assault/rape allegations that have been made against him, and if he were to sign with a team, the league will reportedly put him on the commissioner’s exempt list until the interview takes place. On the other hand, his signing may trigger the NFL to hold that interview and make a disciplinary decision, because it doesn’t want to look like it’s deliberately dragging its feet just to delay Brown’s return to the field. The last we heard, Brown prefers to wait until he is cleared by the league to sign, but he may have to force the issue.

Obviously, a Brown signing would need to be green-lighted by team ownership, which is not going to be an easy sell. But all it takes is one owner to pull the trigger.

In other Brown news, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports that AB’s grievance against the Raiders has taken a major hit (Twitter link). Brown is seeking to recoup $30MM in guaranteed money from Oakland, but in the discovery phase of the grievance, the Raiders submitted multiple text messages from Brown to owner Mark Davis asking for his release. That will certainly not help Brown’s cause.

Latest On WR Antonio Brown

October 12th, 2019 at 10:47am CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this week, one of our website’s headlines read “Antonio Brown To Patriots: Let Me Play.” Brown has apparently changed his stance to include the entirety of the NFL, not just New England. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Brown and his camp want to resolve his off-the-field issues ASAP in an attempt to get him back on the field.

Specifically, Brown wants to have clarity on his playing status within the next few weeks so he can sign with an NFL team. The wideout will wait to sign until he’s officially cleared, and he’s been working out as he prepares for his next opportunity. While the embattled wideout would welcome a return to New England, he’s mostly just interested in finding another gig. Earlier today, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com explained why a Patriots reunion was unlikely.

This reports seems to contradict Brown’s previous announcement that he was done with the NFL, although he’s seemingly walked back those claims in recent weeks. Agent Drew Rosenhaus has continually insisted that Brown wants to play and that teams are interested, pending the league’s investigation into the assault allegations. No teams have definitively been connected to Brown since he was cut by New England.

The NFL continues to investigate Brown under its personal conduct policy, although the league has yet to interview the receiver. The NFL previously announced that Brown wouldn’t be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list as long as he’s a free agent. Meanwhile, Brown’s camp is fighting a series of financial battles against the Raiders and Patriots. In total, Brown is seeking roughly $40MM in unpaid salary and bonuses.

Extra Points: Gronk, Patriots, WRs, Draft

October 10th, 2019 at 9:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rob Gronkowski debuted as a FOX analyst Thursday night, but his former job continues to come up. Robert Kraft has yet to give up hope on the future Hall of Fame tight end returning to the Patriots.

“We all love Gronk, and I think the bottom line is he hasn’t put his retirement papers in,” Kraft said during an NFL Network appearance (Twitter link). “We can always pray and hope …. That’s a good academic argument that there is hope for us still with Gronk.”

The 30-year-old New England icon has continually denied he wants to come out of retirement but refuses to completely slam the door on a possible 10th season. Gronkowski said during his intro FOX broadcast he will “always keep the door open” for a Pats return. He said in August he was healthy enough to play. The team lost Josh Gordon in the first half of tonight’s game, and although it does not seem like the injury is serious — Gordon is questionable to return — the Pats’ offense is not as well-rounded as it was when Gronk created constant mismatches.

Here is the latest from around the league and the 2020 draft:

The Patriots’ high-profile attempt at bringing in a Gronk-level talent ended with Antonio Brown‘s release after 11 days. Brown remains accused of sexual misconduct by two women. The first, Britney Taylor, refiled her civil suit against the unemployed wide receiver in Florida state court, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). Taylor’s attorneys categorize this as a strategic move and indicated new counsel has joined the case. A league investigation is ongoing as well. No team has been closely connected to the 31-year-old superstar since the Patriots cut him last month.
As for elite wideouts still in the league, evaluators shared some interesting views in a piece by The Athletic similar to its quarterback-tiers arrangement. Odell Beckham Jr. and Tyreek Hill join Julio Jones on the top tier here, with NFL personnel viewing DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas as high-second-tier talents (subscription required). Hopkins’ penchant for contested catches prompted one OC to indicate the fear factor surrounding the Texans wideout is not the same as it is when game-planning for Jones or Beckham.
Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses is set to miss all of his junior season because of a knee injury, but the might-have-been first-round talent still has NFL supporters should he declare for the 2020 draft. A group of NFL evaluators view Moses as being a second- or third-round prospect in 2020, Mike Rodak of al.com notes. Moses would be one of many Crimson Tide draftees in the 2020 draft, should he declare, with ESPN.com’s Todd McShay ranking six Alabama standouts in his top 30.

Antonio Brown To Patriots: Let Me Play

October 9th, 2019 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown took to Instagram on Wednesday to address the Patriots. His message: “Tell them to call me. They still gotta pay me, so might as well let me earn it.” (video via Michael Hurley of WBZ).

Given the circumstances surrounding Brown and the Patriots’ undefeated record without Brown, a reunion seems incredibly unlikely. At this point, it’s unclear as to whether any other NFL team would consider signing the wide receiver.

While Brown petitions the Patriots to put him back on the field, he’s fighting a series of financial battles against the Raiders and Patriots. In total, Brown is seeking roughly $40MM in unpaid salary and bonuses. His grievances are unlikely to be heard until the spring. Reportedly, AB has a good chance of recouping his $9MM signing bonus from the Pats, but the rest is pretty iffy.

In recent weeks, Brown has threatened retirement and has wavered about his desire to continue playing. For what it’s worth, agent Drew Rosenhaus insists that Brown wants to play and that teams are interested, pending the league’s investigation into the assault allegations.