7 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of the Ben Roethlisberger era

5. Antonio Brown

Obviously, there was a rough ending for the relationship between the Steelers and Antonio Brown. However, it is impossible to deny how amazing his run as a Pittsburgh Steeler truly was.

From 2014-2017 Brown was named First-team All-Pro, after being named Second-team All-Pro in 2013. Brown is also a seven-time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. According to Pro Football Reference, in his nine years in Pittsburgh, Brown racked up 837 catches for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns.

Despite not winning a Super Bowl during his time with the Steelers, Brown was always the receiver Roethlisberger looked to in the biggest moments, and he almost always came up clutch. Whether it was reaching his arm across the goal-line on Christmas night to clinch the AFC North against the Baltimore Ravens, his 58-yard helmet catch late in the game against the Ravens in the Divisional Round in 2010 as a rookie, or his toe-tap sideline catch against the Packers in the final 30 seconds, Brown almost always delivered.

Throughout his time in Pittsburgh Brown was one of the best receivers in football, and there were several years where he was widely regarded as the best receiver in the NFL. Had he spent his entire career in black and gold, Brown surely would’ve broken all of the Steelers’ receiving records, as he finished second in receptions, yards, touchdowns, and targets while averaging the most receiving yards per game in the team’s history.