Draft Is Likely Turning Point For Antonio Brown
April 8th, 2021
Various analysts are weighing in with a message that the NFL Draft — 3 weeks from tonight! — is a likely turning point in the Antonio Brown free agency saga.
Former Bucco Bruce Arians friend and emergency QB in Indianapolis, Pat McAfee, spoke on his SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio show about how Arians is excellent when it comes to drafting skill positions and it’s unlikely the Bucs will budge on their offer to Brown until after the 2021 draft.
Joe made that point on The Ira Kaufman Podcast two weeks ago; maybe the Bucs indeed take a baller of a receiver late in Round 1 and subsequently move on from Brown.
Moving on to ESPN, Brown’s recent workout video with Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had the desired effect. Today it was the core of an entire TV segment on Get Up (aka Stay In Bed).
A consensus opinion was that the Ravens may be waiting on signing Brown until after Round 1 of the NFL Draft. That chatter surrounded Baltimore possibly drafting tall LSU speedster receiver Terrace Marshall, Jr. at No. 27 overall. Baltimore already signed receiver Sammy Watkins in free agency to a one-year contract for $5 million plus incentives last month. He’s not as good as Brown — and Brown is probably hoping to get close to that salary.
Noted Tom Brady insider Jeff Darlington, of ESPN, added that Brown is treating his time now as a true free agent would, rather than waiting on the Bucs.
Joe’s starting to wonder if Brown might wait to sign until after injury season (aka training camp and preseason). It sure worked for him — and the Bucs — last year.
April 8th, 2021 at 2:47 pm
Joe seemed to leave the fact that Jeff Darlington basically said that Bucs thing AB’s place is with Brady as does every NFL insider that Jeff has spoken to ultimately believes he will stay with Brady.
It’s just what are other teams willing to give AB money wise that the Bucs won’t when he’s got pending case in December which will take him out for a game or two and then adding the risk of adding AB.
Not every team has a Brady that will be able to keep AB under the radar. He goes to a Jackson or Wilson, it’s likely he will go back to his old ways.
Staying with Brady is what is best for him and that’s what all insiders believe as well.
April 8th, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Let him go get paid by another team, a few weeks into the season they will cut him, and then we can sign him again.
April 8th, 2021 at 2:57 pm
He go to the Hawks, and we will regret it in the playoffs.
April 8th, 2021 at 2:57 pm
yup !
April 8th, 2021 at 3:01 pm
Elijah Moore 5-10, 178 4.32 Mississippi
April 8th, 2021 at 3:17 pm
Basic Algebra
If A=B, Then B=A
2020: Brady wanted AB = Bucs signed AB
2021: Bucs haven’t signed AB = Brady doesn’t want AB
April 8th, 2021 at 3:29 pm
AIV,
So you’re saying only a White man can control AB?
Best be careful!
😀
April 8th, 2021 at 4:15 pm
Look, we dated most of last year. If we’re not in love with each other, it’s probably best to move on.
April 8th, 2021 at 4:19 pm
Oh-kneel,
Please respond.
I know your racism alarm has been going off for at least a half hour!
April 8th, 2021 at 4:49 pm
They say its a receiver deep draft. AB has pending issues he ain’t getting top dollar anywhere. He would be dumb to miss the Bucs for pennies but I guess he wants some respect and I think that come preseason he should get a shot at the starting job. I see nothing wrong with some competition in the locker room. Fournette has a shot why not AB? Godwin is under the tag. Let the best man win.
April 8th, 2021 at 5:20 pm
AB wants $$$ Bucs have the limit $ offer on the table. At this point. Move on. If he’s available during season strike a deal. Meanwhile. Sign giovani Bernard
April 8th, 2021 at 5:35 pm
Hey, shout Pat Mcafee!!!
April 8th, 2021 at 5:43 pm
Closing in on diva status again.
April 8th, 2021 at 5:57 pm
Love AB as another part of the team. Glad we got the Shaq and Suh deals done.
Shaq and Suh make others black and blue.
AB with Brady makes the Bucs gravy to repeat.
April 8th, 2021 at 6:04 pm
The more drama AB creates trying to get the Bucs to sign him back the more I want him to be a Raven.
April 8th, 2021 at 6:32 pm
Swampbuc … ditto.
AB has a storied history of being a distraction. I believe the Bucs got lucky because he need to resuscitate his career. Given time, AB will eventually fall back into his old ways. I’d hate to see AB become a distraction that derails this train.
April 8th, 2021 at 6:54 pm
After hearing Najae Harris saying Todd McShay can “kiss his arse” (clean version), I think we have to draft this man at 32. He’s Derrick Henry with an attitude and a grudge but younger. We will need someone to push RoJo and Lenny. Having fresh legs in week 12 with his kind of power could be the trick.
April 8th, 2021 at 7:00 pm
all about $$$$ here we can move on
April 8th, 2021 at 7:15 pm
Anyone read the article on Florio’s site titled, “Lovie Smith: I think our defensive system is better suited for the NFL” LMAO! You can’t make this stuff up.
April 8th, 2021 at 7:15 pm
Having Brown makes me think of that late 90’s Vikings team that had Chris Carter, Randy Moss and Jake Reed.
Funny how the Bucs were the -1 in their 15-1.
April 8th, 2021 at 7:34 pm
AB is like that girlfriend that some of us had that got caught cheating, got in trouble and swore she’d never do it again.
She was on her best behavior.
It was unbelievable.
And then the following season she banged the entire basketball team.
April 8th, 2021 at 7:39 pm
Little fun here but bleacher re-did last years draft based on need and talent
Wirfs went #4
Winfield went #8
Pretty cool stuff
And jason licht steps up at the bottom of the ninth and hits a homerun. Licht wins. He wins.
April 8th, 2021 at 8:06 pm
Dooosh: Please take your race baiting to another site. Nobody wants to play your stupid games.
April 8th, 2021 at 8:24 pm
Look, AB has basically pleaded with the Bucs to resign him, I mean he has been very open about it. It is the Buccaneers dragging their feet on this issue. I believe that the Bucs are up against the wall on cap space and more than likely offered him the same as last season and AB feels the team should show more love. I respect AB’s position but he should just take what the Bucs are offering and roll with it. His day of lifetime security is coming. On a side note, is Steve McLenden going to be with us again this season? I love that guy he has real heart, proud he is a Buccaneer.
April 8th, 2021 at 8:42 pm
Scotty I would love to read that reference you mentioned from Louvre Smith. Link or hint if we can’t do links?
April 8th, 2021 at 8:50 pm
Our first pick shouldn’t be offense.Com on man, we’ve had a top ten offense with young players for the last 3 yrs contrary to the older players on defense which played ball out in playoffs 2020 it makes sense to focus first 2-3 picks on defense considering the age of current players on defense.No brainer.
April 8th, 2021 at 8:51 pm
Scotty, never mind! I found it. You are right, holy buckets, how blind can one oaf be???!!!
That defense stopped working mire than 10 years ago!!!
The NFL is full of running qb offenses now. Earth to Lovie – ever heard of Lamar Jackson? He plays qb for the Ravens? You play them twice a year? This Booz must eat more barbituates in a day than most addicts consume in a year.
April 8th, 2021 at 8:53 pm
Well, i promoted him last year, but then he decided to stay in college one more year…TJ Vasher.
April 8th, 2021 at 9:38 pm
Either he takes the Bucs best offer or he doesn’t (I think he will) , with or without AB we’re still very deep at the WR position . Scotter Mill. Scooter Miller can take the “top” off of Defenses as well as AB can . Personally I’d love to see Miller get more reps .
April 8th, 2021 at 10:06 pm
I always wondered what would happen here if the Bucs actually won. This time of year is usually reserved for draft silly season but this year we already have all of our starters so all draft picks are now icing, depth and with luck the future.
If we even use the 32nd pick it will simply be to get a first round extra year on the contract. We do not NEED any position but we can obviously use some more depth and future players to replace some aging vets.
So what is there to talk about? Why AB of course.
It’s not complicated. AB is one of the top WR’s in the league. Talent is not an issue. The Bucs spent their cap money to keep the team together. The Bucs want AB…AB wants the Bucs AGAIN…the NFL salary cap doesn’t want AB with the Bucs.
And that makes sense. We had a great offseason and basically have the SB team resigned except for AB.
it’s not AB’s fault or the Bucs. AB is simply worth a lot more than the Bucs can afford to spend. It is what it is.
April 8th, 2021 at 10:11 pm
I just read the Lovie Smith article. “In college we weren’t able to run our entire system. Most of the time [offenses] go three receivers — we kept our base defense on the field. We didn’t play our nickel packages much. So I think our defense is more suited for the NFL game and we’ll make the tweaks and things like that. But we feel pretty good about what I’ve seen.” Same old Lovie.
April 8th, 2021 at 11:56 pm
I think that Brown will play for us on a team friendly deal or he’ll be playing for another team. I’m more worried about our two starters at wideout. Mike is probably my favorite player on the team, but he was battling injuries for much of this past year. Godwin appears to have the injury bug and also missed games.
From what I have read, this draft is loaded with good wide receivers and there is usually one that drops lower in the draft than expected. If Godwin kills it this year and Mike stumbles again, then maybe it’s time to move on from Mike (I’m getting sad just typing that)? Can we really afford two 16+ million per receivers and re-sign our good young defensive players? I’m all for taking a wide receiver at 32 if Licht feels the player is worth it.
April 9th, 2021 at 1:37 am
Pleeeeeease let him go and let Miller and Johnson take over those snaps!!! Forget Brown!! …. I think he was a big part of their losing streak! They were just starting to jell as a team and as soon as he got there they tried forcing it to him and it just didn’t look as fluid…. And in that game that he had a mysterious injury nobody could figure out I wondered if he was faking it because it was such a big game and he was getting owned!! ….. Brown is a low life who just happens to be able to run fast and catch a ball…. There’s plenty of those available that don’t have the low life attachment!!!
April 9th, 2021 at 4:07 am
I’m sure everyone in his life wanted to get paid, chef’s, waiting staff,movers,trainers, his kids mothers, the apartment he trashed, not to mention the women who claime assault, and their is enough to believe it,send him to the jets,bum,get paid doing burger king commercials
April 9th, 2021 at 4:15 am
Don’t walk,run out of town, your not needed
April 9th, 2021 at 6:48 am
I think Tom still wants him, but he is the last receiver decision for TAMPA, and waiting for the draft is smart no matter what Tom wants. But it does say they are loaded if a receiving AB caliber is on the bubble.
Tampa Bay Super Bowl bound again!
April 9th, 2021 at 8:10 am
It is obvious to me that Brown will sign with us eventually. If anyone else was really pursuing him, he would have been gone already.
I read the Lovie Smith article too, and it was the same old Lovie, making excuses for his poor performance.
April 9th, 2021 at 8:26 am
Oh boy Brown is getting antsy, if history repeats itself he is at the verge of a social media breakdown versus break through like last year. No matter where he goes he is not going to get top dollar. With Bucs cap issue how can Bucs make this guy happy when Watkins signed for $5mil? My guess he’s going somewhere else but really wants Bucs. It’s a numbers game and he’s running out if years. Oh Doosh, you got your name right but spelled it wrong Douche!
April 9th, 2021 at 11:00 am
I want Antonio Brown. Figure a way to pay him. He did contribute to their Super Bowl run. GO BUCS?
April 9th, 2021 at 11:01 am
GO BUCS!
April 10th, 2021 at 12:03 pm
This is pathetic drama. AB will be in jail within the next few months. Let him walk.