Is Antonio Brown’s career over? Likely for 2019 at least
So many factors went into Antonio Brown’s release by the Patriots on Friday. It would be stunning if he draws interest from any other teams as the league’s investigation continues.
His time in the NFL might be over.
As much as Brown’s stellar career has been overshadowed and besmirched by his recent behavior as a player and allegations of his actions as a person, the Patriots also have had their image tarnished in a short but ugly marriage. The team probably recognized that when it cut ties after Brown suited up for one game, contributing plenty in a 43-0 demolition of what the Miami Dolphins have turned into.
New England would have been on the hook for Brown’s entire $9 million salary (and possibly more) for 2019 had he been placed on the NFL’s
commissioner’s exempt list. He couldn’t have practiced or played for the team, but as the league’s investigation continued, he would have been in a lucrative limbo — at New England’s expense.
There also was the very real specter of the league suspending Brown for violating its personal conduct penalty. That also would have stripped the Patriots of the talents they so quickly signed despite the furor Brown created, first in Pittsburgh by going AWOL among other things, then in Oakland by demanding and getting his release after feuding with the front office over how the Raiders were treating (and fining) him.
First the Steelers cut bait with, by far, their best receiver of the last decade if not their best offensive player. The Raiders and Brown didn’t last into his first season in Oakland, of course, and now he’s gone from New England.
It’s unlikely there was full agreement within the Patriots organization on grabbing Brown when he became available. But coach Bill Belichick was so swift in signing the potential game-breaking receiver that it sure seemed like everyone was on board in New England.
And with all the stuff swirling around Brown, it became impossible for the Patriots, a team that prides itself on insulation from the outside world, to hang on to him. They probably will never say it, but the Patriots recognized the distractions of having Brown on their roster would be difficult to ignore.