Brown’s playing career in the NFL might be over.
Despite being a gifted wide receiver, Antonio Brown has yet to make it on an NFL roster after his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this year.
Now, Brown’s playing career in the NFL might be over.
The former Steelers star tweeted Monday about his desire to return to Pittsburgh, so he could retire with the team following a messy exit in 2019.
“Just wanna Retire A Steeler,” he wrote.
Brown spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Steelers after the team drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Central Michigan. The seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro totaled 837 catches for 11,207 and 74 touchdowns during his NFL career in Pittsburgh.
While his on-the-field production was outstanding, Brown was traded in 2019 to Oakland following months of a deteriorating relationship between him and the Steelers.
Brown later clarified Monday that he wasn’t looking to continue playing for the Steelers roughly three years after the trade. The wide receiver said he just wanted to retire with the team.
“Not Play Jus Retire so we Clear,” Brown wrote.
After unceremonious exits from the Raiders and New England Patriots, Brown eventually signed with the Buccaneers, where he won a Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay released Brown following his decision to leave in the middle of their comeback win over the New York Jets in January.
Brown said he was concerned about his ankle injury during the game in which he dramatically exited while shedding his uniform. Former Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said the wide receiver never spoke to a trainer or team doctor about his ankle.
Instead, Arians pinned the problem on Brown complaining about getting the ball.
It’s unclear if the Steelers would welcome Brown back, but the retirement talk could mean he has apparently given up on playing in the NFL.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin discussed the idea of signing the wide receiver in 2020.
“I’ll say this, once a Steeler, always a Steeler,” Tomlin told ESPN at the time. “We had great success over the course of nine-plus years with Antonio. We’re always going to be interested in his growth and development as a man, and we’ll be open to assisting him in that, but we have no current business interest at this time.”
