The Steelers made official this week what had been long rumored when they hung a sign: Elite playmaker available. Inquire within.
After owner Art Rooney met with disgruntled wide receiver Antonio Brown, the club announced it would seek a trade for the dangerous threat. Face-to-face trade conversations are certain to happen when the league descends on Indianapolis for the scouting combine beginning Tuesday. The list of teams that couldn't use Brown is much shorter than the list of teams that could.
The combine is a breeding ground for deals galore. The Steelers might not reach an agreement during a week that is scheduled around the pre-draft process, and a trade cannot officially happen until the first day of the new league year March 13. Still, it puts general manager Kevin Colbert in position to spark trade talks and generate a market with multiple bidders.
Brown, a sixth-round pick in 2010 who turns 31 in July, hasn't slowed down on the field but has made a heck of a lot of noise off it. He harshly criticized quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on social media after the season, and Brown missed meetings and practices during the season. He was found guilty of driving his Porsche 100 mph just hours before a home game. He has been involved in multiple legal incidents in Florida, where he was accused of pushing the mother of his daughter to the ground and of throwing items including furniture from a 14th-floor apartment balcony.
All of that will factor in what the Steelers can get in return for Brown, who likely will seek a renegotiated contract from a new team, but Brown is a supreme talent who has been productive without being problematic in the past.
"I can only speak for while I was with Antonio, but he was arguably the hardest worker I have ever been around," said former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who coached Brown from 2012 to '17. "Almost never missed time. The couple times he missed, they were legit injuries. He was always available come practice time, game time, and he was 100 percent in and did some incredible things that have never been done. Whoever is getting him is getting a heck of a player that wants to be the best of all time.
"He was great, very coachable, listened, would do whatever was asked of him. I love the kid and talk to him still. I would never put a bar on what he is capable of achieving on the field. When I first saw him, he didn't look like the great receivers I have been around, the big 6-2, 6-3 Larry Fitzgeralds and Keyshawn Johnsons. He's broken so many records and done so many things, Antonio is capable of doing anything. The numbers, they speak for themselves."
Here are six more storylines to follow with free agency and the draft coming quickly:
