The Steelers’ options may be narrowing. More teams are either bowing out of the Antonio Brown sweepstakes or not too serious about a push to acquire the All-Pro wide receiver.
After reports indicated the Broncos and Eagles were not going to make proposals, the Cardinals, too, will not enter the mix, per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Suitors do remain, however.
The Raiders are the team most consistently linked to staying in this pursuit the whole way, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Washington has also shown interest, though its cap situation ($16.9MM in space) obviously limits the franchise’s ability to take on Brown’s contract. Washington’s front office is also believed to be divided on Brown.
As for the Jets’ interest: it depends. Mike Maccagnan said he would probably contact the Steelers about Brown, and Rapoport notes the Jets are in the mix. The team had previous done internal work on a possible Brown offer. However, the Jets’ entrance into this derby may be cautious, with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweeting Gang Green does not have strong interest in trading for Brown.
New York has the most cap space of any team connected to Brown, at $102MM-plus, and could accommodate a new contract. But the soon-to-be 31-year-old wideout’s odd offseason may make a long-term investment difficult, especially considering the Steelers are set to eat $21MM-plus in dead money two years after authorizing a Brown extension.
The Raiders, however, hold more than $72MM in space and are desperate for receiver help. Their three first-round picks also puts them in position to outmuscle other buyers, but this might not be an extensive market.
