Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has formally asked the Steelers to be traded. Pittsburgh hasn’t given permission yet and there’s nothing to say they must. But if we assume Brown will make himself an enormous nuisance until the Steelers trade him, this split is inevitable. Once it happens, here are three big things that happen next.
Pittsburgh cannot replace him because of money
For at least one season, the Steelers are not going to be able to sign an adequate replacement for Brown this offseason. Brown’s dead money sitting on the Steelers’ salary cap is going to mean a huge amount of pressure on the pass catchers on the roster and an emphasis on boosting the wide receivers via the draft where the contracts are more affordable.
The passing offense gets worse
Having said that, don’t look for Ben Roethlisberger to throw for 5,000 yards in 2019. Say what you will about Brown and his antics but he had a huge impact on the efficiency of the passing offense. What this should also mean is Pittsburgh rediscovers the run game and more balance. We will dig more into how the Steelers will adapt to life without Brown but balance is going to be a big part of it.
The Steelers can get back to football
If Brown is traded and Le’Veon Bell isn’t re-signed the Steelers as a competitive football team will take a step back. But it will mean they are on the road to recovery and returning to the Steelers type of team most fans want back. It won’t be easy but ultimately dumping the personalities on this team who held it back is what this franchise needs.
