Assuming he meant everything he said this past week during an interview on ESPN, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was probably unfazed on Thursday to hear that a third-year wide receiver who has yet to record more than 64 receptions in a single season now makes more per year on average than he does.
That player is Allen Hurns, who signed a four-year extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars that reportedly includes $40 million in new money and escalators that could make the deal worth up to $11 million per year. While the entire structure and signing bonus of Hurns’ new deal have yet to surface, it’s been advertised as having a yearly average of $10 million, which is $1.608 more than Brown’s. Should Hurns’ projected yearly average indeed wind up being $10 million, he and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb will both be tied as the 10th-highest paid wide-outs in the league.
Hurns, a former undrafted free agent who played his college football at Miami, has registered 115 total catches for 1,708 and 16 touchdowns during his first two years in the league. Strangely enough, his agent is Drew Rosenhaus, who also now represents Brown.
On Wednesday, Brown gave no indication that the Steelers would be doing anything with his current contract that won’t expire to until the 2017 season. Instead, the Steelers former sixth-round draft pick out of Central Michigan took the high road when asked to talk about the subject.
“I’m just singularly focused on being a great player, being here around the guys and my teammates, and representing my family,” said Brown. “I think money’s not a need for me right now and I think things will work out as the time continues to unfold.”
Should the Steelers indeed wind up not doing anything with Brown’s contract prior to the start of the 2016 season, one would think an extension will finally take place next offseason. such an extension will more than likely need to have new money average of at least $16 million, which would make Brown the highest paid wide receiver in the league based on current rankings.
