TAMPA, Fla. — Apparently there's not "too much diva" in Antonio Brown for the Bucs anymore. At the start of 2019, Bucs coach Bruce Arians said he had no interest in the troubled but talented receiver.
But the Tampa Bay Times confirmed that Brown will visit the Bucs on Saturday with the intent to sign him to a one-year deal as a free agent.
In fact, those talks were described as "99 percent" done even as Brown was scheduled to fly to Tampa on Friday night.
With receivers Mike Evans (ankle), Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Scotty Miller (hamstring/groin) in and out of the lineup all season with injuries, the Bucs are working on a contract with Brown that would reunite him with quarterback Tom Brady.
In fact, it has been Brady who has pushed the Bucs to sign Brown since last summer. Brown played one game with Brady and the Patriots in 2019 and they had instant chemistry. He caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in a 43-0 win at Miami.
Brown received an eight-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league's personal conduct policy and is eligible to return in Week 9.
That would be just in time for a key NFC South game when the Bucs host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football.
The Seattle Seahawks also have been in discussions with Brown.
Arians was the Steelers offensive coordinator the first two seasons Brown entered the league.
In January of 2019, more than a year before Brady arrived in Tampa, Arians wasn't too high on the Bucs signing Brown.
"There's too much miscommunication, too much ... diva," Arians said on the Adam Schefter Podcast last year. "I've heard so many stories — I like Antonio — he plays as hard as anybody on Sunday, and he practices hard. He's just gotta make better decisions off the field, be on time, do some of those little things."
The Bucs, however, never expected to see this many injuries to their top receivers.
Godwin has missed three games. He was unable to play against Carolina after due to a concussion he received in the season-opening loss at New Orleans.
Two weeks later, he suffered a hamstring strain that forced him to miss the next two games, including a 20-19 loss at Chicago.
Meanwhile, Evans began the year injured and has gotten worse despite somehow managing to stay in the lineup. Evans did not practice for two weeks leading up to the season opener against the Saints. Then he tweaked his hamstring and has been a game time decision the past two games.
