Antonio Brown: What could have been for the former Steelers star

Antonio Brown has burnt all bridges in the NFL. Here’s a look at what could have been for the former Steelers superstar wide receiver. 

When it comes to the biggest headcases in the history of the NFL, nobody can trump what Antonio Brown has done over the second half of his career. Despite being on a record pace over his first nine seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown traded glory for humiliation with his actions in recent years.

Things began to spiral out of control while Brown was still a member of the Steelers. After a laundry list of locker room incidents and off-field issues started to pile up, the All-Pro wide receiver forced his way out of Pittsburgh and dictated where he wanted to wind up — sabotaging his draft capital in the process.

Over the past three years, Brown has been cancerous to the Las Vegas Raiders and the New England Patriots. Most recently, he was a thorn in the side of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Week 17, a video went viral of an apparently frustrated Antonio Brown ripping off his shoulder pads, throwing his shirt into the stands, and crossing the field of play to exit the stadium.

As a result of his antics, the team cut him on the spot. Though he has certainly shown that he still has plenty left in the tank, the 33-year-old receiver has been removed from four different teams since the 2019 offseason, and there may not be another squad out there willing to put up with his character issues after what we’ve witnessed over the past several years.

Regardless of his reasoning for leaving the team in the middle of the game, Brown’s decision to make a fool of himself once again might have been the nail in the coffin of his NFL career. We can’t help but think about what could have been had he not gone down this path.

Antonio Brown could have been one of the all-time greats

Steelers fans will probably always garner some harsh feelings towards Antonio Brown after the way he left this team with a sour taste in our mouths. While spectacular in his own right, Brown seemingly never took time to consider that he had a Hall of Fame quarterback throwing him the ball and that things weren’t going to get better than the 165-ish targets he was receiving year in and year out.

Through his first nine seasons in Pittsburgh, Brown was on track to be one of the most productive receivers in the history of the NFL. He earned seven 1,000-yard seasons, 11,207 yards, and 74 receiving touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. He did all of this while being one of the most consistent receivers in the league, in terms of his yards per target.

Right now, Brown is currently 21st all-time in receptions, 24th in receiving yards, and 24th in receiving touchdowns. Because it appears as if his career is going to be cut short, Brown may not get the opportunity to move any higher on this list.

However, if we would have continued for a few more years at the trajectory he was on before leaving the Steelers, it would have been entirely possible that Antonio Brown could have finished in the top-10 in each of these major statistical categories — possibly even in the top-3 in receptions and receiving yards.

Sadly, Brown’s Hall of Fame career was sabotaged by his own doing, and he will forever be remembered as a player in contention for the most character issues in league history. Antonio Brown was fantastic for the Steelers, but his once-promising NFL journey could end here.