If you take Jerry Rice at his word, Antonio Brown wouldn’t mind being a San Francisco 49er in 2019. In an interview on 95.7 The Game, Rice said he talked to Brown, who indicated who wants to play out by the Bay.
There’s the screenshot of the two recently Facetiming each other.
“He wants to come here really badly,” Rice would go on to say during the interview.
The Brown to San Fran talk started on January 1st when tight end George Kittle tweeted at AB, hinting at him coming to play out west. Brown responded back.
Since, Brown has followed the 49ers on social media. And more recently, had this painting done of him and Rice side-by-side.
It’s obvious plenty of respect exists between Rice and Brown. Rice is the greatest receiver in NFL history (Don Hutson would still like to have a word, for the record) while Brown is the best receiver of his era. By the time his career ends, he’s likely to be right up there with Rice. Even today, AB is a slam dunk Hall of Fame inductee the first time his name appears on the ballot.
“I don’t know what happened in Pittsburgh but I know that this guy, if he comes here to San Francisco, he’s going to do everything possible to help this team to win,” Rice said in the interview.
Though the Steelers will be on the hook for plenty of money if they trade him and Brown is signed to a not unreasonable contract, the 49ers have loads of cap space and could easily make the trade. That’ll secure them in the even Brown wants a new deal in the near future.
Obviously, just because Brown wants to go there (if that’s even true), doesn’t mean he will. But his interest and willingness to play somewhere else makes it all the more unlikely he extends an olive branch to the Rooney’s. And if Brown fails to repair his relationship in Pittsburgh, there’s no chance he remains a Steeler. And could wind up catching passes from Jimmy Garoppolo a couple months from now.
