The Texans might be eyeing Antonio Brown. Or maybe not.
Conflicting reports surfaced Friday regarding Houston’s possible interest in the wide receiver, who’s currently a free agent while serving an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
“Houston’s at least poking around here, so it’s worth watching as the team sits at 0-2 without a No. 1 receiver,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on Friday’s episode of “Get Up” while linking Brown to the Texans.
It didn’t take long for someone to dispute the rumor, though, as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweeted a short time later that the Texans have no interest in Brown.
Brown has been a free agent since being released by the Patriots last September. He appeared in only one game with New England, catching four passes for 56 yards with a touchdown in a Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins.
The 11-day stint with the Pats came on the heels of a tumultuous tenure with the Raiders, who traded for Brown and signed him to a lucrative contract extension, only to cut him several months later before he ever appeared in a game with the franchise.
Brown previously spent nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, during which he earned seven Pro Bowl selections and cemented himself as one of the best receivers in NFL history.
The Texans certainly could use Brown’s talent, provided he still has something left in the tank at age 32. They traded All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals over the offseason in a stunning move that resulted in plenty of public backlash toward Houston’s Bill O’Brien. It’s possible Brown would become Deshaun Watson’s top target in short order.
Signing AB is far more complicated than that, though. Brown, who had been the subject of an NFL investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape, comes with plenty of baggage.
Nevertheless, his name continues to pop up in rumors, with the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens also mentioned in the past as possible suitors for the troubled wideout.
