Evidently, there’s some debate as to whether Antonio Brown could sign with another team once officially released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFL insider Josina Anderson indicated Tuesday that Brown “can have one” if he wants another NFL job.
“That is not an opinion,” Anderson tweeted. “That is what I know.”
But ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler painted a much gloomier picture Wednesday, reporting that the consensus among a few league personnel evaluators is that Brown will not receive another NFL job in the short term.
“His immense talent might seduce a team eventually, but as one exec pointed out, he had a limited market before signing with Tampa Bay twice — once during the 2020 season, then again in free agency — and that’s largely because of the off-field issues,” Fowler wrote for ESPN.com. “Despite his body holding up well at age 33, he’s not the same player.”
Brown’s future hangs in the balance after a bizarre meltdown Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The veteran wide receiver took off his pads and left the sideline shirtless — even doing jumping jacks in the end zone — during the third quarter of Tampa Bay’s 28-24 win over the New York Jets.
There since have been multiple reports regarding the strange scene, which might have been the culmination of a disagreement between Brown and Bucs head coach Bruce Arians about whether the seven-time Pro Bowl selection (ankle) was healthy enough to reenter Sunday’s game.
Arians said after the game Brown no longer was a member of the team, although Tampa Bay hadn’t officially released the beleaguered wideout as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Buccaneers suddenly are stretched thin at wide receiver, having already lost Chris Godwin for the season due to a torn ACL. Mike Evans, who spent time on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week, also has dealt with a hamstring injury, raising questions about his availability/explosiveness.
Still, it doesn’t sound like the Bucs are panicking about supplying Tom Brady with more weapons ahead of their playoff run. Instead, the defending Super Bowl champions might lean heavily on their internal options in the coming weeks.
“The feeling out of Tampa Bay is the Bucs won’t aggressively tap into the free agency pool to replace Brown, relying on several role players (including Cyril Grayson, who has improved rapidly of late) to play opposite Mike Evans,” Fowler wrote. “The Bucs have Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller and a talented group of tight ends.”
Well, if the Bucs are looking for help after Antonio Brown’s departure, one former superstar receiver already made his sales pitch to the organization.
