Former Steelers Great Antonio Brown Has The Audacity To Suggest He'd Step Up For Pittsburgh

When the Pittsburgh Steelers and Antonio Brown were together initially, it was a match made in heaven. For the organization, Head Coach, Mike Tomlin knew how to get the best out of the diva wide receiver in Brown. That led Brown to give Pittsburgh his all until he didn't. Now, several years later, the Steelers are a man down and while Brown might be knocking, you know what they say, you can never go back. 

Brown was selected by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and nearly solidified his place in history as the second-biggest sixth-round draft steal ever behind Tom Brady. During his nine-year tenure in Pittsburgh, Brown racked up just about every accolade a receiver can get, except a Super Bowl ring. 

During college, Brown played for Central Michigan. While there, he set school records and helped the team make it to the GMAC Bowl in 2010, a historic event for the small school. The team set the school record for wins with 12 and Brown set the record for receptions with 305. 

When he entered the draft and decided to forego his senior season, he wasn't getting much love from the analysts. Brown was considered the 37th-best wide receiver and was projected to go in the fifth or sixth round. He wasn't even given a grade. There was just a note that he "likely needs time in the developmental league."

Most analysts noted that Brown should have stayed another year in school to continue developing. They felt he was small at 5'10" and 186 pounds and would struggle with the physicality of the pros. While he was explosive, quick, and agile, he needed to work on his routes and ball skills.    

Steelers' Antonio Brown Hints At Pro Return

During his rookie competition, Brown earned himself a roster spot on the depth chart behind the likes of Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and Antwaan Randle El. He initially started turning heads on special teams and even returned a kickoff for a touchdown during his first career game against the Tennessee Titans.     

He helped the Steelers make their way to Super Bowl XLV. This included catching a game-winning 14-yard pass on 3rd and 6 in the AFC Championship game against the New York Jets. Unfortunately, the Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers 31-25 in the big game. 

As other receivers left or retired, Brown was able to move up the depth chart and found himself starting. During his career in Pittsburgh, he played in 130 games, starting 103 of them. He was targeted 1,275 times and had 837 receptions for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns. He was a four-time First-Team All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, the NFL receptions leader twice and the NFL receiving yards leader twice. 

Prior to leaving the Steelers after the 2018 season, cracks in the armor began to show. While hindsight is 20/20, it appears now that the entire franchise from his teammates to the front office were helping to keep Brown moving in a positive direction. 

The issues with Brown began as small ones. Many wrote it off as "passion," personal expression or harmless fun. However, by 2017, the behavior was spiraling a bit. Brown threw a Gatorade cooler and was seen yelling at coaches when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not send the ball his way. Then, he was the victim of a brutal hit by Vontaze Burfict. Whether that exacerbated his underlying issues or not is impossible to tell. However, after arguing with Roethlisberger and publicly blaming him for most of his woes, Brown requested a trade. 

After leaving Pittsburgh, Brown has kept himself busy. He bounced around several NFL teams, even winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he has never been the Brown of old. That is not to say that he is lacking talent; that part is unquestionable. It is his attitude that causes him problems. 

The NFL turned their collective backs on Brown after his escapades in Tampa so he decided to try his hand at ownership. Brown bought into a National Arena League team: the Albany Empire. He has managed to drive that championship-winning team into the ground. The Empire was kicked out of the league for failing to pay their dues. 

That is just scratching the surface of Brown and his many antics. But now the most unbelievable one of all has popped up. Brown might be offering his services to return to Pittsburgh. Yes, you read that right.

The Steelers have found themselves without their number one wide receiver, Diontae Johnson, who suffered a hamstring injury during the abysmal loss to the San Francisco 49ers during Week 1 of the 2023 season. Fortunately, there seems to be an almost zero percent chance that Brown will ever return to the NFL, particularly to the Steelers who seem relieved to have closed that Pandora's Box. 

While it was probably (but who really knows with Brown) meant in jest, there are those who would be excited to see Brown return. This includes Brown, who has alluded multiple times in the past year that he would like to make a comeback. Shortly after releasing the initial tweet, Brown doubled down with a follow-up and a little reminder. 

If Brown were eligible to return would you want to see the Steelers bring him back? What would he have to do to win your trust and make you feel comfortable with his return? Do you think he should ever play in the NFL again? Why or why not? Click to comment below.

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