We still don’t know the exact landscape of Antonio Brown’s trade market, but it is slowly coming into focus. We know, at least according to Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert, that they have spoke to more than three teams about the possibility of trading him.
According to Adam Schefter, the three teams that have shown the most interest are the Oakland Raiders, the Tennessee Titans, and the Washington Redskins. Not named was the New York Jets, who would also seem, at least on paper, to be a sensible destination.
The Jets traded up from sixth to third last year in the 2018 NFL Draft in order to select a quarterback, and they were able to get their choice of all but Baker Mayfield, who went first overall. They drafted Sam Darnold, who was the only one of the rookies to start immediately.
The Jets finished the season 4-12, which included a 1-9 record over the final 10 weeks of the season, starting out 3-3. Then again, the Philadelphia Eagles went 3-13 with Carson Wentz and won the Super Bowl a year later. Darnold himself went 4-9 in his starts. He threw 17 touchdowns to 15 interceptions, tossing 2865 yards on 414 attempts with 239 completions. Despite the losses, however, he looked better late in the season.
And that was with Robby Anderson as their top target, who led the team with 752 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Adding Brown to that mix on the field would be a substantial upgrade, as would go without saying. Santonio Holmes, who was previously traded from the Steelers to the Jets, agreed.
“Business is boomin’! If you want a great receiver that’s going to give you 15 touchdowns, 1000 yards every season, you know, he’s the guy”, he said yesterday. “You know, regardless of what people are saying about his attitude, his demeanor, as a wide receiver, like I said, you can’t do anything without touching the football. And therefore, if you give him the opportunities to touch the football, I’m going to continue wanting that atmosphere. Sign him up. He’s going to be a great player, he’s going to bring great business to the organization. He’s going to get the fanbase involved with the New York Jets”.
Santonio Holmes tells @JeaneCoakley that the Jets should go after Antonio Brown ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vbQZdFBdum
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 1, 2019
Brown caught 104 passes for 1297 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Over the past six seasons, his averages look like this: 114 receptions, 1524 yards, 11.2 touchdowns. He has totaled 686 receptions for 9145 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns during that time.
The Steelers traded Holmes to the Jets for a fifth-round pick as he headed into the final year of his rookie contract, and after they learned that he would be suspended. While he was their leading receiver, his tenure there was tumultuous and at the end, acrimonious.
