Max Kellerman believes Antonio Brown will be taking his talents out west, but probably not to the team you’d expect.
Rumors of Brown’s departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers have been swirling since the end of the 2018 NFL regular season, and the San Francisco 49ers largely have been the most consistent team tied to rumors involving the star wide receiver. In fact, Brown himself might have even hinted via Instagram at his desire to join the Niners.
While there’s no doubt San Francisco is a logical fit, Kellerman believes another NFC West team makes even more sense.
“It’s gonna be the NFC, right? I mean, ideally,” Kellerman said Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take. “It’s gonna be a team that has the cap space to do it. It’s gonna be a team that has a great quarterback and needs — or could use — a real threat like Antonio Brown. To me, that’s Seattle. I wish the Cowboys hadn’t made that deal (for Amari Cooper) because can you imagine the circus that comes to Dallas? Like, that would be amazing. But realistically when I take a sober look, I think it works in Seattle.”
Brown certainly could help the Seahawks return to being more of a two-dimensional offense. Seattle ranked first in rushing yards per game last season while posting the sixth-fewest passing yards per contest. Doug Baldwin isn’t getting any younger and battled injuries throughout the 2018 campaign, while Tyler Lockett has yet to truly emerge as a No. 1 receiver.
One has to imagine Russell Wilson would be pretty happy to have Brown in his arsenal as well. And it might be imperative for the Seahawks to keep their franchise QB on the up, as Wilson reportedly has thought about a trade to the New York Giants. Wilson is set to enter the final year of his contract, and he could be more inclined to sign a lengthy deal with Seattle if a top-tier wideout is in the mix for the long haul as well.
The Seahawks can use all the help they can get in order to reclaim the NFC West division crown, and Brown would provide a tremendous boost.
