Antonio Brown Says He’s Waiting To Sign Before Having Ankle Surgery

Free agent WR Antonio Brown told TMZ Sports he is waiting to have surgery to repair his ankle until he signs with a team. 

“I need to get my ankle fixed, but I just want to make sure I got an obligation or a commitment from a team,” Brown said. “…It’s a lot for a guy to go do surgery without an idea of where you gonna work, or who you going to work for.” 

The veteran tore ligaments in his ankle last season and said it was severe enough that he shouldn’t have been playing, which was the source of his infamous blowup that ended his time in Tampa. 

Brown added he still has hopes of continuing his professional football career. 

“I’m a player first,” AB said. “I couldn’t even be in this position without being a football player. So I never want to take that for granted. I would love to continue my career. I got a lot of game left in me.”

Brown, 33, is a former sixth-round pick of the Steelers back in 2010. He was in the third year of his five-year, $72.71 million contract when the Steelers traded him to the Raiders in March of 2019. 

The Raiders later signed Brown to a new contract worth $50.125 million and including $30.125 million guaranteed. However, Oakland made the decision to release Brown before the start of the season and he later signed a one-year deal worth up to $15 million with the Patriots.

Brown lasted just 11 days in New England. The Buccaneers signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million in 2020 and re-signed him to another one-year extension for 2021. The Buccaneers waived him after a sideline incident with HC Bruce Arians. 

In 2021, Brown appeared in seven games and recorded 42 receptions for 545 yards (13.3 YPC) and four touchdowns.