Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been spotted working out with former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown this offseason. And if Jackson had his way, he’d like to continue throwing to him come Week 1 as well.
“I’d be happy if they signed him,” Jackson said in a pre-draft video conference. “He done showed up each and every year he was with the Steelers in the past. But that’s not my decision.”
Fans have been drooling over the potential pairing since video showed up on social media of Brown working out with his cousin and Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown. But when Jackson was videotaped throwing passes to Brown this offseason, the talk reached a fervor.
Though Brown has currently unresolved issues that could make his return to the NFL daunting, it’s easy to get excited when thinking about the possibilities.
Jackson is fresh off an MVP season that has him as the new cover player for ‘Madden 21,‘ throwing a league-high 36 touchdown passes and shattering all types of records. Brown, at his best, is arguably the greatest wide receiver in the league currently. Discounting last season and his rookie year, Brown has averaged 103 receptions for 1,380 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns per season over eight years in the NFL. Even though Baltimore has revamped their wide receiver corps over the last two seasons, there’s little doubt a focused Brown could take them to the next level.
But for all the excitement fans have had about Brown joining the Ravens, he’s had a troubled year.
Brown is looking for his fourth team since last offseason, being traded by the Steelers to the Oakland Raiders. However, antics involving a cryotherapy injury and Brown refusing to play without a specific and discontinued helmet marked a quick end to his tenure with the Raiders, causing his release before the season started. Brown quickly signed with the New England Patriots but that lasted just one game before a lawsuit filed by his former trainer alleging sexual assault saw his release from there as well. Since hitting free agency, Brown has continued to have trouble staying out of the spotlight for negative reasons, getting in an expletive-filled confrontation with police in front of his house and being arrested on burglary and battery charges against a truck driver.
With such an extensive list of issues against him, Brown is currently under investigation by the NFL and is undoubtedly looking at a suspension if a team is brave enough to sign him.
