The Pittsburgh Steelers’ and star wide receiver Antonio Brown have had a publically troubled relationship for quite some time now. With recent reports of Brown meeting with Steelers’ owner Art Rooney II in Miami last month, it became apparent that his time in Pittsburgh was over. Late Thursday night, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news of a trade agreement between the Steelers and Bills, sending Brown to Buffalo.
Sources: The #Steelers are closing in on a deal to send star WR Antonio Brown to the Buffalo #Bills. There it is.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2019
But on Early Friday morning, the Bills released a statement from general manager Brandon Beane that revealed Buffalo would not be trading for Brown.
A statement from GM Brandon Beane. pic.twitter.com/GK8wMqFTCA
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) March 8, 2019
For the past few weeks, all of the reports have been that Brown was likely to end up with either the Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, or Tennessee Titans. Although they were never front runners in the Antonio Brown sweepstakes, Buffalo clearly made the Steelers a very impressive offer if it reached the likes of the top NFL reporters, though no details of the trade were announced yet.
If the trade would have gone through, the Bills would have provided second-year quarterback Josh Allen with a true number one target. Last season, Brown totaled 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 receiving touchdowns in 16 games for the Steelers. Last season, the Bills’ leading receiver was Zay Jones, who caught 56 passes for 652 yards and 7 touchdowns.
