Antonio Brown to Green Bay Packers makes too much sense to ignore

Could Antonio Brown be the Green Bay Packers’ offensive savior?

It seemed to be a certainty that the Green Bay Packers would be aggressive this offseason when it came to adding depth at wide receiver. Last season, they won 13 games but it was plain to see they struggled to find any consistent help at receiver outside of Davante Adams.

Green Bay’s veteran receiver finished with 997 yards and five touchdowns while missing four games. After him, their best wideouts were Allen Lazard with 477 yards on 35 receptions and Marquez Valdez-Scantling with 49 catches for 452 yards.

Even with the lack of options, Green Bay was surprisingly silent in free agency and the draft in terms of pass-catchers. They did sign Devin Funchess but there were concerns about how he would perform after missing all but one game for the Indianapolis Colts in 2019.

As for the draft, they didn’t add anyone, leaving Funchess as the only addition. Now, they won’t even have him to lean on as the former Michigan Wolverine was one of 66 players to opt-out of the 2020 NFL Season due to concerns over COVID-19.

That puts the Pakcers in a tough spot, but Rob Demovsky of ESPN spoke with an unnamed NFC scout who said there’s one solid option out there for Green Bay — Antonio Brown.

"“They’re back to square one,” said a longtime scout for an NFC team. “Same guys [as last season]. If I was them, I’d go sign Antonio Brown. You just use him for one year. Let’s say Aaron Rodgers has got two great years left? I’ve got to go for it. If I was [general manager Brian Gutekunst], I would’ve signed Robby Anderson, and I might have made a trade for another linebacker.”"

Up until this past season, Brown was widely considered one of the top wideouts in the NFL. He made the Pro Bowl in every season from 2013 through 2018, topping 1,200 yards in each of those seasons. However, he hit rock-bottom in 2019 due to off-field issues — the list is a mile-long so that can be saved for another day.

Antonio Brown can play in 2020 and the Green Bay Packers need his talent.

What matters for the Packers is the fact that Brown will be allowed to play in 2020. The league finished a lengthy investigation into Brown’s off-field antics and determined he should be suspended for eight games. And while that seems like a lot, the fact is he would be available for the Packers when they needed him most — the second half of the season as well as the playoffs.

And as pointed out by the NFC Scout, the Packers don’t have much more time to win again with Aaron Rodgers, so getting him an explosive playmaker such as Brown could be a gamble worth taking — especially if he’s signed to just a one-year contract.

Brown does have his baggage but he will also come into 2020 motivated to prove he can get the job done, and he surely won’t be terribly expensive considering how tarnished his name has become.

Of course, adding Brown will cause some backlash but their loyal fanbase would understand and the leadership on the roster can help keep Brown focused. In the end, this makes too much sense for the Packers to simply ignore the opportunity.