The Antonio Brown era in Pittsburgh is all but certainly over, and now the question is where the Steelers will trade the star wide receiver.
Although he comes with plenty of baggage, Brown’s skill certainly will result in him getting quite a bit of attention from various teams, so presumably many will try all they can to acquire him.
In a piece on ESPN predicting both the present and future for Brown, author Mike Sando spoke to numerous executives and at one point got some suggestions on what it might take to pry the wideout from the Steelers.
The results were mixed.
“An exec who initially thought the Steelers would smooth over the situation with Brown and keep him quickly changed his tune Tuesday after reports suggested all parties agreed a divorce could be in their best interests,” Sando wrote. “This exec said he thought the Steelers would ask for a second-round pick and could come away with as little as a third.”
In addition to one talent evaluator suggesting a player and second-round pick, here are some other predictions Sando received.
“Here is my prediction on the trade,” another exec said over the weekend. “I think there is going to be a one (first-round pick) involved. If I am the Packers — and I’m just using them as an example — I would give a first and a fourth, and I’d want back a third and a sixth.” …
“If the value is driven down because nobody is sure he will show up and get along, I can see Pittsburgh saying, ‘We are not taking a fourth-round pick for the guy,'” this exec said. “If they can turn him into a mid-to-high two, given the risk associated with it, good for them.”
It’s worth bearing in mind that while that may not seem like a huge haul for Brown, he carries a pretty big cap hit, so some financial finagling would need to be done in order to acquire the 30-year-old.
Either way, it will be fascinating to see which teams make pushes to try to land the star.
