Antonio Brown is known to telegraph his ambitions through social media, so you should take them seriously when he posts random statements.
Brown took to Twitter and started angling for a gig with the newly revamped Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland Antonio Browns
C-A-B
— AB (@AB84) March 18, 2022
“Cleveland Antonio Browns. C-A-B”
“Take the Browns to SuperBowl. Not ToiletBowl”
Take the Browns to SuperBowl
Not ToiletBowl
— AB (@AB84) March 18, 2022
Watson to AB Link Up?
The post came on the same day that rumors began to swirl that Watson was traded to the Browns for a blockbuster deal.
According to reports, the Browns reportedly gave Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract for five years. Watson reportedly will receive a $45 million signing bonus and his 2022 seasonal base salary of $1 million.
It is now the most significant guarantee in NFL history.
Many NFL teams inquired about Watson, especially after a Harris County, Texas, grand jury declined to indict him on criminal charges. According to multiple reports, the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers were also reportedly in the running.
The AB Effect
However, since Brown dramatically left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reports of teams checking for him during the offseason haven’t been many.
During Brown’s recent appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, the free agent floated the possibility of signing with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. The Cleveland Browns acquired Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper for a 2022 fifth-round draft pick and an exchange of 2022 sixth-rounders.
“The plan is to get back to the game. Maybe Jerry Jones is thinking it’s sexy that I’m putting out all this motivation and hard work and energy,” said Brown. “Maybe he will want to harness that energy.”
The Big Problem With AB
Brown’s departure from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played out in front of the world live on television. Brown had what many considered a meltdown, tearing off his uniform and tossing it to the fans while walking off the field during a Bucs game against the New York Jets.
Everyone from Tom Brady to sports desk talking heads issued a diagnosis of mental illness without anyone asking Brown what was wrong with him. Some blamed CTE damage on what they perceived as Brown’s inability to control himself.
However, for Brown, the Buccaneers issue came down to a lack of respect that Bucs head coach Bruce Arians had for him. The two spend time together on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bad Energy
“You [former teammate Ryan Clark] and I know how Arians used to treat me,” Brown said on “The Pivot” this month. “You and I know that Bruce Arians said that A.B. isn’t smart enough to play the ‘X’ position. You and I know that Ben Roethlisberger had to say enough is enough and tell Bruce Arians that we have to play this guy. The public doesn’t know that.”
The Cleveland Browns have been putting the pieces together to rebrand their franchise and betting on Deshaun Watson to reverse their woes from the Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. era.
Having Antonio Brown as an additional weapon has never been a bad idea on the football field until the fateful in-play walk-off in New Jersey.
Will he manifest a slot and help the Browns make it to Super Bowl contention? Only time will tell, but with Brown, all business is always boomin’.
