The summer of 2027 should add another chapter to the glorious history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. That should be the year that former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finds himself enshrined in the hallowed halls of Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a legendary 18-year run with the Black and Gold.
If former Steelers receiver Antonio Brown has his way, it won’t just be a weekend for Roethlisberger, it’ll be a weekend for himself, too.
Appearing on the “Fearless” podcast with longtime media member Jason Whitlock, Brown stated that it would be “pretty legendary” to go into the Hall of Fame with his former quarterback in 2027.
“Come on man. Me and Ben together. MAC School guys; Miami Ohio, Central Michigan. Two MAC daddies that go in the Hall of Fame at the same time for Steelers history? That’s pretty legendary,” Brown said to Whitlock, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I think me and Ben Roethlisberger go down together. How? Like that, only God can make that happen. Let’s be real. And we landed at the same time?”
That certainly would be pretty legendary, seeing both Roethlisberger and Brown enter the Hall of Fame together, especially after the truly incredible heater the two went on during a five-year stretch in which Brown was very clearly the best receiver in football and Roethlisberger was putting up some absurd passing numbers even in a pass-first league.
But the chances of that happening are slim and none, due entirely to Brown and his late-career antics on and off the field.
That’s a real shame, too, because at their height, the Roethlisberger-Brown combination was in the same discussion as Montana and Rice and Brady and Moss, even without the overall team success. The numbers they were putting up was quite insane, and seemingly had them ticketed for the Hall of Fame together.
Then, everything came crashing down for Brown.
Quitting on the Steelers late in the 2018 season, forcing his way out of the Oakland Raiders after just a few months before the start of the 2019 season, a number of off-the-field incidents and run-ins with the law, and then most infamously, quitting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game against the New York Jets in 2021, taking his pads off on the sideline and walking out on his team due to a disagreement with then-head coach Bruce Arians regarding his health with an ankle injury.
Even with all of that going on, Brown was still a great receiver. But he seemingly threw it all away. Despite that, he believes he’ll get into the Hall of Fame someday, even if that day might not be with Roethlisberger in 2027.
In speaking with Whitlock, Brown said he’s not concerned that he could get the Terrell Owens treatment and be kept out of the Hall of Fame longer than he should due to his antics.
“I feel like people try to compare me with all these players and people they may not understand who may have had media. The thing between me and difference between me and Terrell Owens. Lemme tell you. …So, like the thing with the NFL is one receiver, right? It’s the number one guy that usually gets put in the Hall of Fame, right? So how could, like what team did even Terrell Owens go down with? Who did he go down with the Hall of Fame? Which team? I don’t even think he took a team,” Brown said regarding his potentially getting the Terrell Owens treatment from the Hall of Fame voters.
In a roundabout way, Brown brought it back to himself, stating that because he is the No. 1 receiver in Steelers history from a production standpoint at the receiver position, that he will get into the Hall of Fame.
“The thing that’s the difference between Antonio Brown? I got more stats than Hines Ward, so I could go down as the number one receiver,” Brown said.
That was Brown’s short-handed way of explaining that because he has better numbers than Hines Ward in Steelers history, he should get into the Hall of Fame and not receiver the Terrell Owens treatment because Owens wasn’t the true No. 1 guy in 49ers history behind Jerry Rice.
Not exactly how it works, but Brown darn sure believes that with his entire being.
He definitely has the numbers to enter the Hall of Fame, finishing his career with 928 receptions, 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns to go along with four first-team All-Pro and one second team All-Pro selections, seven Pro Bowls. Brown twice led the NFL in receptions and yards, once leading the NFL in touchdown catches and also landing on the NFL’s All-Decades team of the 2010s.
Brown also has a Super Bowl ring on his resume, winning it with the Buccaneers. So he certainly has the stats and the team success that bolster his case for the Hall of Fame. It will just be difficult for voters to get past his antics on and off the field and his legal troubles.
But what a weekend that would be if Brown could go into the Hall of Fame with Roethlisberger, putting a fitting close on a rather incredible time in Steelers history before it all came crashing down.
