If you thought this off-season stunk to be a Dolphins fan, it could certainly be worse. You could have been a Buffalo Bills fan for the last eight hours.
The initial report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport came late last night: a bombshell. The Steelers and Bills were nearing a deal to send disgruntled wide receiver Antonio Brown to Buffalo.
The internet exploded, as Brown’s saga has been one of the main storylines of this winter in the NFL. But it wasn’t long before cracks started showing up in Rapoport’s initial story.
First, it was Antonio Brown commenting on an Instagram post to call the trade “fake news”. Then, shortly thereafter Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie posted “false alarm guys!” on Instagram himself before quickly deleting it.
Bills fans went to bed last night thinking that they’d landed one of the most physically gifted receivers in the game to help develop quarterback Josh Allen. They woke up this morning and the deal was dead.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter put the potential story on ice a short while ago.
Moments later, Rapoport conceded his initial report, confirming Schefter’s report. The issue? The Bills decided it wasn’t worth the drama of pondering if Antonio Brown would bother to show up. Ouch.
The Bills came close. We may never know exactly how close. But what we do know is this: that, at least for one night, the Bills offered some relief to Dolphins fans during these trying times.
