Oct 7, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) and wide receiver JuJu Smith-0Schuster (19) celebrate a fourth quarter touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 41-17. Photo Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
Wide receiver Antonio Brown took to Twitter Tuesday to say goodbye to Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
“Thank you SteelerNation for a big 9 years… time to move on and forward. #NewDemands” Brown tweeted.
The star receiver has made his desire to be traded known after a number of run-ins with teammates and members of the coaching staff over the years.
The rocky relationship came to a head when Brown did not play in the regular season finale against Cincinnati due to being benched for reportedly missing team practices and meetings.
Brown, a seven-time Pro Bowler, has requested that the team move him this offseason. It remains to be seen if the Steelers front office will comply with the volatile receiver’s demands.
Brown, arguably the top receiver in the NFL, started 15 games in 2018 and tallied 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-high 15 receiving touchdowns. He’s led the league in receptions in 2014 (129) and 2015 (136) and led the league in yards in 2014 (1,698) and 2017 (1,533).
Brown, 30, has posted six straight 100-yard seasons, which is the longest streak in NFL history.
He’s due $16.625 million in 2019. If he’s on the Steelers roster on March 17, he’s due a $2.5 roster bonus. If Brown is traded before March 17, Pittsburgh would absorb a dead cap hit of $21.12 million and $23.62 million if he’s moved after March 17.
Brown is due $11.3 million in 2020 and $12.5 million in 2021.
