Antonio Brown, seven-time pro bowl wide receiver, requested a trade last week, all but putting an end to his tenure in the historic black and yellow. It is rare to see a player of Brown’s caliber become as disgruntled as he has recently, however dysfunction within the organization has persisted in recent years and has not been more evident than this year. After beginning the year 7-2-1, the Steelers were in prime position to secure yet another post-season run and potentially first super bowl berth since the 2010 season. Pittsburgh, however, proceeded to drop four of their next six, missing out on the playoffs for the first time in five years. Going into week 17, a verbal altercation between Antonio and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led to the former being listed as a healthy scratch for a game which had playoff implications. The controversy has had many involved picking sides, and with owner Art Rooney II doubting Brown’s involvement with the franchise in the future, and the All-Pro wide receiver announcing his departure on Twitter, we find ourselves asking where he may go next. Brown is still under contract through the 2020 season, so he may not have a say where his next destination is, however I may have a few potential landing spots of my own.
GREEN BAY PACKERS – Nobody can deny the talent Aaron Rodgers possesses. His ability to place a football in the tightest of windows, while also possessing the talent and instinct for ridiculous amounts of improvisation puts him in a league of his own. Although he was banged up last year, he struggled at times with accuracy issues. He does have a budding star wideout in Davante Adams, however does not possess much talent in his receiving corps outside of the latter. The Packers have approximately 34 and 60 million in salary cap space over the next two years respectively, and while it may seem a tad unorthodox to have about 50 million of your cap dedicated to three players (Rodgers, Adams, and potentially Brown), it is a chance I would be willing to take under new Head Coach Matt LaFleur, allowing him to ease in with a set of all-pros such as Aaron Rodgers and Antonio Brown. Green Bay has two first round draft picks this upcoming draft, which could very well allow them to part ways with one in order to get a future Hall of Famer in return, and instantly make Green Bay one of the most dynamic offenses once again.
Potential compensation: 30th Pick (via NO)
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS – The Colts have a huge luxury with their roster. The Colts overcame a 1-5 start to finish 10-6 last season with the youngest roster in the entire NFL led by comeback player of the year Andrew Luck. Indy has presumably struck gold with their last two drafts which has turned their franchise back into one of the most dangerous teams in the upcoming years. With plenty of team-friendly contracts, the horseshoes have over 100 million dollars of space for the next two seasons, which allows them to buy all kinds of pretty gadgets in this stacked free agency class once the league year begins. However they should not wait that long to make a splash. Luck needs another playmaker as the wide receiver position will become very thin as every rostered wideout is entering free agency sans T.Y Hilton. Antonio Brown could slide in perfectly as the primary target leading a three headed monster of Brown-Hilton-Ebron with Mack acting as the lead change of pace back. I find it hard to believe Pittsburgh will trade Brown to a fellow AFC foe, especially a contender such as the Colts, however I would be intrigued to see them become players in the Brown sweepstakes.
Potential compensation: 26th Pick
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – My gut tells me that Pittsburgh will want to trade Brown to a team as far away as possible, so with that why not send him across the country to the land of Levi’s? The 49ers have struggled to get back into relevancy since the departure of Jim Harbaugh, and were notified the trend would continue another year with the loss of Jimmy Garropolo to an ACL injury back in week three. After a 10-22 record in his first two years, Kyle Shanahan could very well find himself on the hot seat if a turnaround does not occur this year. Although they enjoyed a breakout campaign from tight end George Kittle, San Fran did not have one wide receiver surpass 500 receiving yards. One way to change that, and allow Jimmy G to have some success in what would be his first full season as a starter, is to surround him with talent that will allow him to overachieve in an offensive system which saw Shanahan turn Matt Ryan into an MVP and super bowl representative back in 2016. Brown to the Bay may not be the best fit for him personally, but it will allow him to thrive in a competitive environment surrounded by multiple young pieces that could potentially become the turnaround team in the NFC in 2019. With the second pick in the draft, the 49ers could become prime candidates to trade down to desperate quarterback-needy teams, which could lead to a pick that could persuade the Steelers to strike a deal
Potential compensation: 2020 1st Round Pick (via projected trade), 2020 4th Round Pick (SF)
OAKLAND RAIDERS – The Raiders have all the ammunition to make a deal happen. They currently possess four picks in the top 35 of this year’s draft (4, 24, 27, 35) and two first rounder’s in the 2020 draft. Historically this is the type of team to take a chance on diva type players and with the move to Vegas looming, the franchise is going to need a face of the franchise that will draw not only popularity with the organization, but success on the field as well. After trading Amari Cooper to Dallas, the Raiders severely lack a number one target, having an aging Jordy Nelson and free agent tight end Jared Cook fill that role last year. Although Derek Carr is not an elite quarterback per say, he has the ability to light up the field with the best of them when he catches fire. Having Antonio Brown at the helm will help ease the burden and cover up some of the flaws Carr has with accuracy issues. Though Oakland has the most to give, they are, outside of maybe Baltimore the last 15 years, Pittsburgh’s biggest rival. Rivalries may not mean as much to players like in the past, but the same cannot be said about those who run the organization. Unless Oakland makes an offer that cannot be refused, I do not see Rooney II and co. taking a deal from the silver and black, even if it is a slightly higher pick.
Potential compensation: 24th Pick
Salary Cap Space
This Just In 