Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions:
Tendered:
Tendered at original-round level:
Non-tendered:
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.
The Antonio Brown saga rages on, as the Steelers continue to look for a trade partner for the All-Pro receiver. Brown made recent comments to ESPN that indicated he wouldn’t be accepting anything other than complete control over his situation, saying “I don’t even have to play football if I don’t want. I don’t even need the game, I don’t need to prove nothing to anyone. If they wanna play, they going to play by my rules. If not, I don’t need to play.” Brown’s threats to no longer play come on the heels of a report that quarterback play is a strong factor on where Brown wants to be dealt.
Brown’s latest comments are a ploy to get the Steelers to release him, opines Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Following up on additional speculation that the Steelers may be forced to just release Brown, Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Steelers “will never cut him,” and would rather trade him for a conditional seventh round pick than let Brown win. The latest report has the Eagles and Raiders as strong players in a potential Brown trade.
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in two years, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com gets the sense than an extension will be struck before its expiration, which would mean no strike or lockout. One high-ranking league source tells JLC that a deal could even be reached prior to the start of the 2020 season, though an NFLPA source cautioned that things are still in their infancy.
Here’s more from JLC:
More drama on the Antonio Brown front. The Steelers asked the disgruntled wide receiver to delay his $2.5MM roster bonus, which is slated for March 17 and set to be paid in installments throughout next season. However, Brown declined, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
The Steelers want to delay the bonus for cap purposes, per Florio, who adds they may well be expecting Brown’s next team to actually pay this bonus rather than them. However, if Brown is still on Pittsburgh’s roster by St. Patrick’s Day, the $2.5MM goes against the Steelers’ cap.
Brown declining could be expected, given his actions this offseason. He tweeted he and the Steelers agreed a trade would be best for all parties, and Kevin Colbert said that will, indeed, be the goal, though only if it benefits the team. Having played with future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger throughout his career, Brown understandably wants to land with a team that employs a quality quarterback. He also seeks a new contract, but Florio notes the mercurial wideout has not ruled out agreeing to play for another team without having a new deal in place. In that case, Brown would expect a new contract to be agreed to before the season.
The Steelers will have to eat $21MM-plus in dead money with this trade, but that number rises to north of $23MM after March 17. They currently hold $16.3MM in cap space. A source told Florio the payment of this $2.5MM bonus would become a point of contention between the Steelers and other teams during trade talks. Brown is under the impression his bonus will arrive March 17.
“Why wouldn’t they not trade me? They gotta pay me $2.5MM on March 17,” Brown said, via ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington. “If I invoice you March 17, $2.5MM that you gotta pay me, would you pay it or would you get somebody else to pay it? So it’s what — pretty much what’s good for their business.”
Despite Brown being at the center of the drama that has unfolded in Pittsburgh this offseason, he does not believe this unraveling is his fault. again appearing to cite Roethlisberger’s November criticism of his play as a reason this situation fell apart.
“I don’t take any blame,” Brown said, via Darlington. “I just think I took responsibility for my situation. You know, I didn’t point the finger; I didn’t make no one look bad; I didn’t throw no stones at anyone.”
This has gotten to be quite the complex rift, though Brown has fired most of the salvos. After the practice incident before Week 17, Brown skipped meetings and walkthroughs and ignored Mike Tomlin‘s attempts to reach him before attempting to suit up against the Bengals only to be denied that opportunity. Brown told Darlington that Tomlin told him to “go home” during the lead-up to Week 17 after informing the coach he was sore. This differs from Tomlin’s explanation of the events.
Brown also told Darlington he and Roethlisberger did not work out independently during offseasons and believes the relationships he had with Big Ben and Steelers brass should have be more substantial than they are.
“Criticism really is a part of the job, you know what I’m saying? I answer criticism with achievement,” Brown said. “But, you know, and the professional level is, like, yo, like, if I’m your guy, make me know I’m your guy. But don’t say I’m your guy and then point the finger. Don’t say I’m your guy and then don’t throw me the ball the whole first quarter.
“I would’ve liked for me and Ben to be cool. You know what I mean? I thought we was cool. But when I think … I’ve been to his house one time. He’s been to my house one time. You know what I mean? We don’t work out in the offseason. You think that’s winning? That’s not winning.”
The Jets, Raiders, Redskins and Titans have been the teams now connected to Brown. Prior to the Combine, the 49ers were on the radar. They may re-emerge, but not much has transpired on this front as of late.
Another day, another update in the Antonio Brown saga. The All-Pro Steelers receiver is still demanding a trade, and now we have an update on his preferences of where he’d like to land. Brown has been loosely connected to a handful of teams, but they apparently aren’t all equal in Brown’s eyes. “Quality of quarterback play will be a factor” in determining whether Brown will agree to play for a potential trade partner, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
We heard earlier today that the Titans, Raiders, and Redskins had been expressing the most interest in Brown so far. It’s unclear if any of those three teams would meet Brown’s apparent standards for quarterback play. The trade market has been relatively quiet for Brown thus far, and his public demands have seemingly reduced the Steelers’ leverage in negotiations. Brown has played his entire career with one of the league’s top quarterbacks throwing him the ball, so it makes sense why he wouldn’t want to downgrade.
While plenty of teams will surely express interest in Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, it sounds like a handful of teams have been particularly aggressive. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that three teams have “shown the most interest” in the wideout: the Raiders, the Redskins, and the Titans.
It’s not too surprising that these three teams are seemingly emerging from the pack, as they all struggled with wide receiver production in 2018. In fact, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, the Titans (seven), Redskins (eight), and Raiders (nine) were all in the bottom-three for touchdowns by receivers last season. For comparison’s sake, Brown finished the campaign with a league-leading 15 touchdown receptions.
It’s been almost a month since Brown requested a trade from the Steelers, but few teams have definitively been connected to the receiver. We heard earlier this week that the Jets were considering making a move for the veteran, although they had yet to reach out to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Michael Silver of Sports Illustrated tweets that we should “keep an eye” on the Saints during this sweepstakes, and several other reporters have backed his sentiment.
We also heard about the Raiders interest in the receiver yesterday. The organization is a natural fit due to their need for talent and their draft capital, but our own Zach Links noted that the Steelers would be unlikely to pry away the fourth-overall pick. Instead, the Raiders’ pair of late first-rounders could be in play. Half of the Raiders receivers depth chart is set to hit some form of free agency, and the team will presumably be looking for an upgrade on Jordy Nelson as their top receiver.
It sounds like Redskins coach Jay Gruden will be battling with his brother to acquire the star receiver. With Alex Smith‘s future in doubt, the organization will also presumably be seeking another quarterback to compete with Colt McCoy. You could assume that Brown’s presence in Washington would improve their chances of attracting one of the top free agent signal-callers.
The Titans have struggled to surround Marcus Mariota with elite weapons during his brief career, although former first-rounder Corey Davis did take a major step forward last season. Adding Brown to the picture would surely improve the team’s chances of returning to the postseason.
The Raiders are one of “several” teams interested in Steelers star Antonio Brown, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport adds that there is a market developing for the ultra-talented wide receiver.
The Raiders are in need of talent across the board and they’re a logical suitor for Brown given their significant draft capital. Oakland owns four picks in the top 35, including three-first round picks. The Steelers are unlikely to pry the No. 4 overall pick from the Raiders in a Brown deal, but picks No. 24 or No. 27 could be up for grabs.
Brown, 31 in July, earned his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl selection in 2018, finishing with 104 catches, 1,297 yards and a league-leading and career-high 15 touchdown receptions. Still, things went sideways between him and the Steelers. The rise of JuJu Smith-Schuster and the attention he received may have caused tensions to boil over between Brown and coach Mike Tomlin (plus other key figures), but that won’t stop clubs from chasing one of this generation’s most dangerous offensive weapons.
49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be ready for OTAs, as Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports writes.
“Everyone says they are ahead of schedule,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “And he is. I mean he’s been healing great. He hasn’t had knee trouble before. It was a clean ACL, so it’s been real good for him.”
As a QB, Garoppolo should be able to participate in OTA drills, but the risk factor is higher for teammate Jerick McKinnon. The running back, Shanahan says, is unlikely to be involved in the 7-on-7 scrimmages.
“He’s also a quarterback, so when we get to OTAs, it will be 7-on-7s, so we don’t have to worry about people falling at his knees,” Shanahan said. “So Jimmy will be able to practice a lot more than someone like Jet, who we have to be a little safer with, even though they might be at the same spot. We don’t want people to be falling into their legs, and that’s easier to control at quarterback than running back.”
Here’s more from San Francisco: