Art Rooney II On Antonio Brown Being Back With Steelers: “Not Many Signs That’s Going To Happen”

On Wednesday, Steelers owner Art Rooney II told reporters (per Ed Bouchette) that there are “not that many signs out there that that’s going to happen” when asked about Antonio Brown being back in Pittsburgh next year.

Rooney did, however, say that they haven’t had any trade discussions involving Brown up to this point.

“I am not going to sit here and disparage Antonio,” Rooney said, per Mark Kaboly. “You have to remember that he has been one of the most productive receivers in the league for a long time now. He has helped us win a lot of games the last few years. Was it always done the way you like to see it done? No.”

“I don’t think (Antonio Brown) was a major distraction to the team up until the last weekend of the season,” Rooney added, per Kaboly.

Rooney added that they haven’t closed any doors with regards to Brown at this point.

“We have left everything open at this point. There aren’t that many signs out there that’s going to happen (AB apologize),” Rooney said, per Kaboly.

Last week, Rooney said they won’t release Brown, but “all other options are on the table.”

“There’s not much we can do right now; we have time to make a decision,” Rooney said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We’ll look at all the options. We’re not going to release him, that’s not on the table. But I will say all other options are on the table.

“Whether the situation can be reconciled and have him back on the team next year, we’re a long way away from thinking that can happen. We’re not closing the door on anything at this point.”

Rooney went as far to say that it would be “hard to envision” Brown being with the Steelers when they report to training camp in July.

“As we sit here today, it’s hard to envision that,” Rooney said of Brown returning for the 2019 season. “But there’s no sense on closing the door on anything today. There’s snow on the ground. We don’t have to make those decisions right now.”

Recent reports have said that the 49ers and Broncos are expected to have interest in Brown.

The Steelers would incur a $21 million cap hit by trading Brown, which is typically too prohibitive for a team to take on. However, reports have said Pittsburgh believes they can easily offset the cap hit.

Brown is owed a $2.5 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year, which could work as a deadline of sorts for the Steelers to trade him.

Brown, 30, is a former sixth-round pick of the Steelers back in 2010. He’s currently in the third year of his five-year, $72.71 million contract that included a $19 million signing bonus and stands to make base salaries of $12.625 million and $11.3 million over the next two years of the agreement.

Trading Brown would be really tough for the Steelers, considering that they would take a $21.12 million cap hit by moving him before June 1. After that, the dead money hit drops to $7.04 million with the remainder being carried on their 2020 salary cap.

In 2018, Brown appeared in 15 games for the Steelers and caught 104 passes for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns.