Former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was having a legendary career before it derailed. Here’s why he will fall short of the Hall of Fame following his recent retirement.
Antonio Brown was certainly one of the most interesting Steelers of all-time. Early in his career, his story made headlines as the former 6th-round draft choice emerged out of nowhere for a 1,100-yard season and a Pro Bowl as a return specialist by his second year in the league. From there, things were looking up.
From 2013 to 2018, Brown compiled more receiving yards than any other player in the league and even grossly outpaced Julio Jones in touchdowns over that span (67 to 33). With his ability to dominate on every level of the field with his outstanding route running, terrific hands, and ability after the catch, Brown was considered by many to be the best in the league at his position over multiple years.
But despite all of his accomplishments throughout his career, the four-time All-Pro wide receiver could end up falling short of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Why Antonio Brown might not make it to the Hall of Fame
At the way Brown’s career was going up to the 2018 season, we expected him to surpass most of the all-time greats and possibly even fall in 3rd – right after Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald. However, his self-combustion late in his career may have lost him the chance at the Hall of Fame.
Recently, Antonio Brown took to social media with multiple tweets expressing how he is finally choosing to walk away from the game. By doing so, Brown is currently just 35th all-time in receiving, according to Pro Football Reference. Some of the names ahead of him on this list include Muhsin Muhammad, Rod Smith, and Keenan McCardell – none of which have yet to make it into the Hall of Fame.
Not only that, but the Hall of Fame voting committee may not even choose to pass Brown through if he was up for nomination because of his poor reputation. Not even Terrell Owens – who is 3rd all-time in receiving yards – made in on his first try. Many believed this was due to his character.
Brown finished his NFL career with an impressive 11,263 yards. At the pace he was going it, it likely would have taken just 3-4 more years for him to surpass Owens and move all the way up to 3rd place on the list. However, will his career now ‘over,’ the once-dominant wide receiver will have to wait and see whether or not his name will ever go down in the Hall of Fame.
There’s no question Antonio Brown would have made it into The Hall had he just kept his head on straight. Now, he’s just a receiver who finished 35th on the all-time list and will be remembered for his antics late in his career.