Source: Brown asks Steelers for trade
Brown did not show up to clean out his locker or conduct an exit interview with the coaching staff. He pulled out of the Pro Bowl with an injury and team president Art Rooney II indicated the team had been unable to make contact with Brown in the weeks after Pittsburgh finished 9-6-1 and failed to reach the playoffs.
Rooney, however, stressed last month he did not plan to “disparage” Brown and did not close the door on Brown’s possible return. That still might be the case, whether Brown wants to come back or not.
There is no major rush with another month before the new league year begins, though Pittsburgh could work out the parameters of a deal by March 13. Brown’s contract counts $21.12 million in 2019, a number that inches north to $23.62 if Brown receives a $2.5 million roster bonus he’s scheduled to receive on March 17.
The number seems daunting, but for once the Steelers are not right up against the salary cap thanks in large part to running back Le’Veon Bell’s decision to sit out 2018 rather than sign his oneyear franchise tender. The $14.4 million Bell forfeited will roll over into 2019, giving Pittsburgh some flexibility to absorb a loss if Brown plays elsewhere.
Cutting Brown is almost certainly off the table, but what Brown could command on the trade market is uncertain. Pittsburgh received a third-round pick from Oakland last season for Martavis Bryant, who carried the weight of unmet expectations and a record that included multiple violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Brown doesn’t have that kind of baggage, though his behavior in recent months could give potential suitors pause. The list of his transgressions in recent months includes a pending civil lawsuit in Florida claiming he hurled objects from the 14th floor of an apartment building that landed near a toddler; threatening an ESPN reporter through social media; and his 100 mph sprint through the northern Pittsburgh suburbs on Nov. 8.
Several of Brown’s teammates, including second-year wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, talked openly at the Pro Bowl about Brown remaining with the team that took a flyer on him in the sixth-round of the 2010 draft and helped him evolve into one of the best receivers of his generation. Brown apparently wants no part of a reconciliation.