When the Buccaneers signed Antonio Brown in October of last year, Bruce Arians claimed the troubled wide receiver would be off the team if he “screws up one time.”
Well, Browns ultimately did screw up — as almost anyone could have expected — and it went well beyond a run-of-the-mill mistake. And still, the Bucs reportedly plan to stand by AB.
Sunday marks the end of the three-game suspension for Brown, who was punished for supplying the NFL with a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. While Arians didn’t offer much about Brown’s future in Tampa amid the suspension, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Sunday reported the veteran wideout is expected to rejoin the reigning Super Bowl champions Monday.
Arians probably — and to a degree, deservedly — will look the worst should Brown play out the rest of the season with the Bucs. But one has to imagine the head coach wasn’t alone in the decision to keep the seven-time Pro Bowl selection around. Tom Brady has quite a bit of influence in Tampa Bay, and he probably pushed to keep AB in his arsenal.
Arguably no one in the NFL is less deserving of additional chances than Brown. But he’s highly talented and remains very effective when on the field, and players of that ilk unfortunately will always have a job in the league as long as they’re stuffing the stat sheet, no matter how many times they slip up.
