Don’t look now, but Antonio Brown has suggested he’s hanging up his cleats again. The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday after issuing a similar notice back in Sept. 2019.
Brown spent the 2019 offseason with the then-Oakland Raiders after being traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers, but ultimately suited up for just one game with the New England Patriots before he was released once a series of legal issues and sexual assault allegations came to light. He last retired over a disagreement in whether guaranteed money in his Raiders contract.
Brown hasn’t had a team since then, with NFL franchises waiting to see how any potential suspensions would play out with the league as various court cases and investigations unfolded.
He last participated in a group workout with the New Orleans Saints just before the playoffs started, though every receiver at that tryout except for Brown and former Saints practice squad member Travin Dural since signed new contracts:
- Reggie Begelton (Green Bay Packers)
- Maurice Harris (New Orleans Saints)
- Tommylee Lewis (New Orleans Saints)
- Tim White (New Orleans Saints, later cut)
- Antonio Brown (unsigned)
- Travin Dural (unsigned)
Brown went on to decry his appearance in New Orleans as a publicity stunt that benefited the Saints, and later produced an explicit music video targeting Saints coach Sean Payton. He’s citing an imbalance between the risk of suiting up for the 2020 season (maybe due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic) and the possible rewards of another NFL payday as his reasoning in stepping away from the game this time, but we’ll see if it sticks. Brown’s behavior has been unpredictable before.
