Antonio Brown wants out of Pittsburgh. He’s made that clear. Heck, that appears to be the only thing he’s said to the organization this entire offseason. But wanting out of the city and actually getting that wish are two different things. The ball is in the front office’s court, not Brown’s. However, if you look at AB’s social media actions, you’d think he had just been released.
Several times over the last 48 hours, Brown has made mention of him being “open for business.”
Clearly, this is Brown attempting to use the little leverage he has to get dealt. Stamp your feet, make enough noise as possible to compel the Steelers to get rid of him and in the process, potentially drop his trade value a bit – damaging the Steelers’ bargaining power – which makes him easier to trade. In one sense, at least.
Judging what Pittsburgh can get for him is tricky. A first round pick seems tough. With his contract, drama, and the NFL looking into his January domestic dispute, even if nothing is likely to come of the latter, it’s hard to see a team part ways with their most valuable selection.
But he’s still Antonio Brown, an immensely talented player of which rarely appears on the trading block, and will instantly transform any offense for the better. So we shouldn’t exactly be in Santonio Holmes territory either. Realistically, they could receive a second or at worst, third round pick.
While the Steelers figure all that out, most recently, Brown seems upset at a charity group organized by 93.7 The Fan, giving fans $5 off breakfast in exchange for their AB jerseys, as opposed to burying (or burning, as some Yinzers have done) them.
That apparently earned Schiller the ‘ol block button from Brown. But if he gets his wish, and his “open for business” line becomes reality, he won’t have to worry. The local Pittsburgh news won’t be covering him much longer.
