Signing Antonio Brown would be worth the risk for these five NFL teams.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown turned 32 years old on Friday, July 10. But as training camp is set to ramp up for the 2020 NFL season, the pass-catcher who has over 11,000 yards and 75 touchdowns over his 10 seasons, including six straight 1,200+ yard seasons, is not on an NFL roster. There, of course, is good reason as to why.
Near the end of his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown’s behavior started to appear erratic. That took a worse turn after he was traded to the then-Oakland Raiders, including a holdout over a helmet and frostbite on his feet from botched cryotherapy. Then his one-game stint with the New England Patriots ended when sexual assault allegations arose.
Despite all of this, the on-field talent of Antonio Brown remains undeniable. Even in that single game with the Pats, he showed he can still get it done with four receptions, 56 yards and a touchdown. So it’s no wonder that there is a growing buzz around the league that an NFL team could potentially ink the wide receiver to a deal.
Make no mistake, signing Brown at this point would be a massive risk. He undoubtedly faces a suspension upon his return to the NFL due to the sexual assault investigation by the league and pleading no contest to other charges in Florida. Yet, for the right team, he could be worth the risk. Specifically, these five NFL teams should take the risk and sign Antonio Brown for the 2020 season.
5. Philadelphia Eagles should sign Antonio Brown
Though selecting Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft rubbed many Eagles fans the wrong way, it highlighted Philadelphia’s need at the position. So too did the later-round addition of John Hightower. But even with those young players joining Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson, they could possibly use more.
Last season, the top-three leading pass-catchers for the Eagles were not wide receivers. And while part of that is due to the undeniable talent of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, it also speaks to the lack of effectiveness they’ve experienced from their wide receivers.
Even with the newcomers via the draft, the Eagles could use a veteran target who’s proven he can be a consistent force in an NFL passing offense if they want to defend the NFC East title. Though he may not be available to begin the season, upon his reinstatement and return, Brown could be that for Philadelphia.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers should sign Antonio Brown
Even in light of his erratic and intensely problematic off-field behavior, Tom Brady remained supportive (and quite vocally so) of Brown while he was with the Patriots. Now, after the biggest move of the 2020 offseason, Brady is the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So could that support continue in the Sunshine State?
Michael Lombardi of The Athletic insinuated in late June that Brown to the Bucs was a possibility. He also made comments to suggest that head coach Bruce Arians was currently not in favor of the signing but that people were trying to wear him down about it.
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Of course, Tampa Bay already has one of the most devastating wide receiver duos in the NFL with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, adding Brown to the mix would give the team an embarrassment of riches to help in their Super Bowl plight. Not only could that situation motivate the veteran wide receiver but also keep him happy to pair him with a supportive voice in Brady.
3. Seattle Seahawks should sign Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown himself sparked a recent discussion about the possibility of the wide receiver joining the Seattle Seahawks when he posted a video of him working out with Russell Wilson. This added fuel to an already burning fire of speculation about the possible move as head coach Pete Carroll had spoken about Brown as well previously.
On one hand, the Seahawks have a nice duo of wide receivers to hang their hats on with Tyler Lockett and phenom D.K. Metcalf. Especially with the latter hopefully progressing in his second NFL season, that’s something that the Seahawks passing game could ostensibly hang their hat on.
At the same time, the Seahawks clearly feel as if the wide receiver room needs an upgrade. They took a gamble on Josh Gordon last season and have been connected with him again as well this offseason. Brown, however, has a better track record of recent performance. So if Seattle is going to take a flier, the talent of Brown should win out if that’s what they’re weighing.
2. Baltimore Ravens should sign Antonio Brown
Considering that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won NFL MVP last season and the team boasted a historically dominant offense en route to having the best record in the AFC, it might seem outlandish to say that they need help on that side of the ball. Yet, that remains the case.
The obvious next step for Jackson as a player is for him to become a more dangerous passer. For that to happen, though, he needs more consistent weapons to emerge. There are candidates with Marquise Brown (the cousin of Antonio Brown) and rookie Devin Duvernay. In terms of sure things, though, there is no one on the current roster that qualifies.
Baltimore has reportedly already had discussions internally regarding Brown, which makes sense given the offensive circumstances. He would clearly help on the field but, perhaps most importantly, putting him in a successful franchise with great infrastructure and with a family member on the roster as a support group could make the Ravens an ideal landing spot.
1. Green Bay Packers should sign Antonio Brown
Unlike just about every other team outside of the Eagles mentioned on this list, there hasn’t necessarily been anything concreted connecting Antonio Brown to the Green Bay Packers in the 2020 offseason. And even then, they make the most sense on the field as a landing spot for the wide receiver.
It’s been discussed ad nauseam how the Packers have done quarterback Aaron Rodgers a huge disservice this offseason. Rather than give him anyone outside of Davante Adams in the wide receiver corps to throw to, they drafted his assumed replacement in the first round, a running back in Round 2 and no wide receivers at all.
Brown would fix that. As he would be for any team, he’s a risk due to his behavior and the suspensions. But if we’re talking about a team that desperately needs wide receiver help and would get a massive boost from Brown’s talents, the Packers stand above the rest.