The rumors surrounding Antonio Brown are heating up the NFL offseason, with more than a dozen teams mentioned as potential landing spots for the unhappy All Pro wide receiver. The Green Bay Packers may be at the front of that pack.
This week, the mercurial Pittsburgh Steelers receiver made it clear that his tenure with the team was over, posting a video on Twitter of his highlights with the team and the caption, “Thank you SteelerNation for a big 9 years…time to move on and forward………. # NewDemands”
This followed several weeks of rumors that Brown was on his way out, sparked when the wide receiver missed practice on the Saturday prior to the team’s season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Though the Steelers still had a chance to make the NFL playoffs with a win, Brown didn’t dress for the season finale, and many believed that his time with the team was over.
Now that his exit appears to be confirmed, there are rampant rumors about where the Pittsburgh Steelers might trade Antonio Brown. According to the betting website BetOnline, the Green Bay Packers are near the top of that pack. The site put the Arizona Cardinals as the overall favorite at 9-to-2 odds, but the Packers were just behind at 5-to-1.
As the USA Today ‘s Packers Wire reported, Green Bay could actually have an even bigger edge due to a number of factors including potential trade bait in their two first-round picks this year, and 10 overall. As ESPN reported, the Steelers believe Brown is “too good not to get high-end capital” and will be seeking at least a first-round pick in return for him.
The fact that the Dallas Cowboys were willing to give up a first-round pick for wide receiver Amari Cooper could be a good sign for the Steelers, but there are signs that teams may not be as willing to dish out quite so high a pick for the older Brown, who has shown to be a potential liability for the locker room.
Green Bay would also give Antonio Brown the chance to play with Aaron Rodgers and a team that showed a willingness to make big moves in order to get in title contention, including an aggressive push for Khalil Mack last year.
NFL Execs Say Steelers Will Only Get Day 2 Draft Pick in Antonio Brown Trade REPORT: https://t.co/Cvwr7ZeBEa pic.twitter.com/UHhh9PtakX
— ESPN North America (@sportreview4) February 14, 2019
There have been many other teams mentioned in trade rumors for Antonio Brown, but it’s not clear if the Steelers have actually fielded any concrete offers yet.
