Antonio Brown might have been somewhat of a ticking time bomb this past Sunday in the Meadowlands.
Brown put a fork in his Buccaneers tenure when he theatrically removed himself from Tampa Bay’s Week 17 game against the New York Jets after a reported disagreement with coaches. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, AB was miffed well before he tore off his jersey and pads and jogged off the MetLife Stadium field shirtless.
“At halftime of Sunday’s game against the Jets, Antonio Brown was agitated about not getting the targets he was expecting during the game and had to be calmed down,” Schefter reported Thursday, citing Bucs sources.
Brown’s reported frustration likely was tied to looming incentives. As Schefter reported after Tampa Bay’s Week 16 win over the Carolina Panthers, Brown was closing in on a combined $1 million in bonuses. Brown would have earned $333,333 with 11 catches over the Bucs’ final two regular-season games and another $333,333 for two more touchdowns. AB also had an outside shot at $333,333 for 281 combined receiving yards over a two-week span.
Perhaps those potential bonuses were the only reasons why Brown even played in Week 17. As the wideout stressed in a statement through his attorney as well as screenshots of text messages to Bruce Arians and Alex Guerrero, he’s dealing with an ankle injury that requires surgery. That serious ailment — or lack thereof — is now the focal point of what’s become a “he said, she said” between Brown and the Bucs.
The Buccaneers, who officially released Brown on Thursday, have acknowledged the 33-year-old’s ankle injury but contend he was healthy enough to play in Week 17.
