Report: Several Teams Have Inquired About Trade For Antonio Brown, Steelers Not Interested

Mike Freeman of B/R reports that “several” teams have inquired about a potential trade for Steelers WR Antonio Brown. However, two teams tell Freeman that the Steelers have told interested clubs “hell no.”

For what it’s worth, Freeman says that trading for Brown would obviously be quite expensive and take a “minimum” of a first-round pick.

Even so, Brown told Freeman that he’s committed to playing out his career in Pittsburgh, despite some recent issues.

“Steeler for life,” Brown said. “For life.”

Brown also explained that the decision to stream HC Mike Tomlin’s post-game press conference on Facebook was a “dumb mistake” that he won’t make again.

“It was a dumb mistake,” Brown said. “Can’t believe I did it, and it won’t happen again. I promise you that.”

“The big thing I learned is that I have some growing up to do, and I’m going to do it,” Brown added. “I learned a lot from it and will keep learning. I’m going to rebuild the trust with my teammates and my coaches. I promise you that, too.”

Last week, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Steelers have begun contract talks with Brown regarding a long-term extension and there’s optimism that the two sides can finalize an agreement well in advance of training camp.

Brown, himself, confirmed that contract talks were “beginning to get it rolling” in an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.

A few weeks ago, Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers reworked Brown’s contract last year with an “understanding” of signing him to a larger contract after the season.

Rapoport mentioned that Brown is now “about to cash in” and could see him topping the $15 million per year Bengals WR A.J. Green makes as the highest-paid receiver in the NFL.

Brown has earned a new contract from Pittsburgh for some time now, but the Steelers’ policy to not negotiate with a player until they’re in the final year of their contract has left him waiting to discuss a new deal.

The Steelers did, however, restructure Browns’ contract last summer, which moved $4 million of his 2017 salary up to the 2016 season to reward him for his production.

Brown, 28, is a former sixth-round pick of the Steelers back in 2010. He’s currently in the fifth year of his six-year, $43.04 million contract that included an $8.5 million signing bonus and stands to make a base salary of $8.71 million for the 2017 season.

In 2016, Brown appeared in 15 games for the Steelers and caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. Pro Football Focus rated Brown as the No. 3 wide receiver out of 119 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding the Steelers and Brown as the news is available.