Some Antonio Brown-to-Tampa Bay rumblings resurfaced Tuesday morning, but Bruce Arians‘ March stance on his former charge may still stand.
The Buccaneers remain uninterested in adding the former perennial All-Pro wideout, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. With Tampa Bay arming for an all-in window behind Tom Brady for two years, Brown would certainly make sense from a football perspective and give the Bucs a historically loaded pass-catching corps.
The move would be risky, though, and Arians said months ago the team would not pursue Brown. Despite Arians having coached Brown in Pittsburgh, he is not interested in a reunion. Nothing has changed on this front, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
Brown remains under NFL investigation for multiple incidents — including two alleged acts of sexual misconduct — and is expected to face a suspension this season. Given the superstar receiver’s volatile run over the past 1 1/2 years, teams will be hesitant to give him another chance immediately. But Brown’s talent points to him receiving at least one more opportunity at some point.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old weapon has been linked to the Ravens and Seahawks, though Baltimore is believed to also be uninterested in adding Brown to its pass-catching stable. Russell Wilson is believed to have lobbied for the mercurial talent at multiple junctures.
The Bucs already employ Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and scant precedent exists for a tight end trio as deep as Tampa’s Rob Gronkowski–O.J. Howard–Cameron Brate group. But Brady was believed to be against the Patriots cutting Brown last year and has been rumored to support the Bucs bringing him in. For now, however, that does not appear to be a front-burner matter for the team.
Can we just stop with AB news until there is actually news?
Dude is a jerk who thinks he’s above the law and everything else. Stop giving him the time of day!
Yep. He wants this attention.
I’m unsure about this whole situation, like the reality of him gettin another chance, because of examples of the past I find it hard to believe he won’t eventually be signed but I’ve been thinking this for quite some time now and every team that comes up in rumors about him quickly make pretty clear stances of disinterest known…maybe everyone should underrate themselves a little more and be part of something instead of fiending for headlines like the attention junkies we all have become
Brady got his guy Gronk but any continued attempts by him to orchestrate a power play will result in Arians bailing on the Bucs just as he did with the Cardinals.
If they undermine Arians by forcing Brown on him, I wouldn’t blame him if he quit. It’s one thing to be saddled with a guy that doesn’t fit your system, but quite another to be forced to coach a headcase.
If Brady really is pushing that hard for AB, then let Tom coach the team. You want him, you deal with him and everything that entails.
Arians also previously coached Brown in Pittsburgh, so he’s probably more aware of his character flaws than Brady
Is there TE group really that deep? I thought Howard was in danger of being cut and don’t think Brate is anything special. Gronkowski is gonna have a big year I think but still comes with that injury risk.
The depth is what makes gronk more valuable. He will likely be on a pitch count, brate is an above average tight end, and OJ might not be what he was touted as in his draft year, but he’s capable and still has a high ceiling.
With all 3 of them on the roster, there will probably be a lot of deception and give defenses fits. Also looks like a good recipe for Brady’s classic dink n dunk. I see this team as a 3rd down nightmare for opposing coordinators.
Nailed it, M34.
Brate above average? Haven’t watched a ton of bucs games but he seems like a Jag to me. And wait til Howard isn’t in the exact right spot for tom he’ll be spending the year in the dog house
Brate is above average as a receiver. Howard is more athletic, but apparently fell out of favor with the coaching staff. Tampa’s offense has changed so much year to year that it’s hard for most players other than Mike Evans to sustain momentum in any facet season to season. But if Brate were a free agent tomorrow, he’d get a good amount of interest from multiple teams around the league. I believe it was two years ago that Brate stepped in to the starting role, and he played much better than anyone expected.
Arians was asked about signing AB. He said “No”. They asked him why, and he said “Because I know him. He wouldn’t fit in our locker room”. That’s a negatory. Nope. Not happening.
Why is AB brought up so often…..