It’s over for former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown

And now his career is over…

Sure, perhaps a desperate team will attempt to boost ticket sales or make a last month run at the playoffs by signing AB. It’s almost certain he’ll set foot on an NFL field again. But at what point? By the time society returns to some semblance of what it was prior to COVID-19, AB will face suspension from the league. It will be lengthy. Expect him to lose another season before he returns.

Antonio Brown is 31 years old. How old will he be when he runs his next route for an NFL franchise? 32? 33? 34? No matter how great a player’s work ethic, no matter how fit and supremely talented they might be, short of the QB position which does not always demand deft cuts and rocket-fueled burst, no one escapes the rigors of time and wear and tear on the body. Sure, AB has had some time away from the game which will help to preserve his body. Sure, he’s continued to work out with the same fervor that fans have seen since he was drafted into the league in 2010.

But he won’t be the same AB he was in 2018. He won’t even be the same AB we saw for one game last year with the Patriots.

He will be another player. He might even score a few touchdowns. But the days of dominating are over. The days of demanding constant double and triple teams are no more. Whenever Antonio Brown does set foot on an NFL field again (assuming he does not end up in jail), he will not strike fear into the opposition. They’ll be respectful. They’ll possibly roll a safety his way depending on the down and distance.

But the fear is gone. Just like his career. It’s sad if we’re honest with ourselves. At one point Steelers fans considered the possibility that their team had drafted one of the best, if not the best, wide receiver ever to strap on a helmet.

Now we all watch wondering what’s next. What VH1 “Behind the Music” moment will we witness tomorrow? More legal issues? More Twitter wars with Youtube stars promoting a boxing match that now will never happen? More terrible auto-tune saturated albums? All are possible and even probable. It’s just a shame that we’ll expect these things before we’ll ever see another moment of greatness from someone who owed us, himself, and the game so much more.

When the curtain comes down on Antonio Brown’s career it will not be made of steel, lest his journey end behind bars, and if that’s the case, none of us will be better for it.