NFL Rumors: Even Before Mohamed Sanu Trade, Antonio Brown Wasn’t Returning To Patriots

Ever since Antonio Brown was cut by the New England Patriots, some fans have held on to hope that he might return at some point this season.

The Patriots cut Brown after 11 days with the team in September. During that time, numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape, emerged. After getting cut, Brown took a shot at Patriots owner Robert Kraft, all but certainly eliminating any chance of a reunion.

Still, some (for whatever reason) think Brown returning to Foxboro is a possibility. That chance took an even bigger hit Tuesday morning, though, when the Patriots bolstered their receiving group with the reported addition of Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons.

During an appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter indicated that, yes, this trade squashed the already non-existent chance Brown would be brought back.

“Can we just dismiss that? That’s crazy talk,” Schefter said of a Patriots reunion for Brown. “I’m amazed at how often I’m stopped — even (Monday night), I’m on the field before the game and some fan is yelling ‘Hey, Schefter, AB’s coming back to the Patriots.’ I go, ‘What are you talking about, man?’ Like, it’s just unbelievable how many times I get stopped (by) people that have AB on their fantasy teams saying, ‘You think I should drop him?’ Yeah, I think you should drop him. Yeah, you want to pick him up in 2020, be my guest, there is a chance he might play next year. But to think that he’s going to play this year, as much as he wants to, I just don’t see that happening while the NFL’s investigation is ongoing.”

That settles that.

There reportedly is a little interest in Brown around the league, but no team would be dumb enough (most likely) to sign him while an investigation is going on.