Antonio Brown Considering Holding Out For New Deal?

Um, we knew he'd be a bargain when we signed him to that contract, back when he had one year remaining on his original contract. He didn't have to take it - he could have waited one more year and signed a bigger contract, if he had the confidence and was willing to risk injury. The whole point of the contract he's on now is that it's too cheap if he explodes and becomes the best receiver in the league (which he has) but at the time he signed it it was too much, too soon. We were banking on him exploding, and he did. If we accept a holdout and make a new contract for him, then there was no benefit to our foresight, and it sets a terrible precedent.

Added to this, another reason that contract went straight to him is that the team was tired of dealing with Mike Wallace and stuff like holding out. Antonio was supposed to be the one that was different, the team friendly one. The one who plays his contract, and gets extended and restructured as time goes by, like with Ben, like with Timmons.

There are few times when I can agree with a player holding out. This is not one of them. He needs to keep his mouth shut and come to work. He'll be rewarded for it with a new contract when it's time, which it's not even close right now. I am absolutely in favor of trading him (for a king's ransom, of course) if he digs and won't play, or if he starts to turn the locker room sour the way Wallace did. He's the best in the league, but he's also at one of the most easily replaceable positions. And even being best in the league, he's still not one of those guys we just couldn't bare to part with. He's not a young Polamalu or Harrison. We could deal Brown and be just fine.

All that said, it's just one report so I'll choose not to believe it for now, and remain a fan of his. Go Antonio!

 

I agree - it isn't so much whether he is indispensable...to an extent he might not be since he is one of the top 5 receivers in the game, but if you allow yourself to be possibly jerked around by good guys who figure they can have their contract re-visited whenever they want you put yourself in an unmanageable cap situation.

Right now the guys on the Steeler radar in terms of re-doing the contracts include Heyward and probably Beachum with DeCastro being another peg down the list, adding Antonio Brown back into the mix adds a whole other component that is completely out of left field for the organization - a major can of worms. The Steelers have had a long standing rule that you play out your contract...as good as Brown has been, I don't see them changing as it makes them far too vulnerable in future negotiations.

Also - I may be too rash in saying this as I do not know Brown's full story. We all know Antonio Brown is a very, very hard worker and has earned his stripes tenfold, but he has shown some flashes of being prima donna. He preens a lot on every 1st down and TD ... some leading to really stupid penalties and he has been a bit too caught up in keeping his stat lines high ... including the 5 catch 50 yard game streak variety that seems pretty obscure.

So you have to ask yourself if you want to give into that kind of person, what kind of precedence does it set?

 

"Alright... but you owe me!"

 

This!!
Totally agree. I know players can be cut, but teams are still on the hook for the salary cap. Players need to honor their contracts and quit money grabbing. He's already being paid well.

 

Just when it looked like we had a high quality character wr he puts on heels and a dress and turns all cray cray.

 

My first reply was hoping to get the deal done and keep him happy . I didn't know he still had 3 years left . He is a smart guy and he knows we have lots of holes to fill on this roster and limited money to work with . So if this article is true which all signs point that it is , maybe he wants to be traded ?

Lot's of Teams out there with lots of cap space and almost every one of them could use a AB. AB knows this his agent knows this , I say start looking for trade partners.

 

Right now he has the 4th highest paying contract on the roster, that means 49 other players are playing for less than he's getting, and just how many 6th round draft picks gets a 42 million dollar contract in their second year and complains about it 2 years in? He's set to make $6,000,000(2015), $8,250,000(2016), and $8,710,000(2017). So just how much more does he want from the golden goose????

 

He was a 6th round pick.

 

If this is indeed true..... I will have lost a lot of respect for AB. He signed a contract in 2012 based on the belief that he would turn into a #1 WR..... which he did. $8.4M per year average is nothing to beotch about Antonio. Play and talk when the contract is almost up.

 

Yeah I fixed that, but how many 6 round picks gets a big contract 2 years in??? He was lucky he got drafted in 2010 or he would be on a rookie salary cap deal playing for peanuts.........

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...st-day-pittsburgh-steelers-offseason-workouts

ESPN reporting it, as well.

 

If he wanted more money, he should have rolled the dice on himself and signed a shorter contract in 2012. These guys don't learn from the past how the Rooney's don't screw around with this BS drama. He should ask Mike Wallace how this turns out

 

I thought this was a well written, short notice, article by DK

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/04/20/column-abs-holdout-threat-hypocritical-hollow/

 

Exactly what crossed my mind. Except they won't trade him. They will let him sit. Trading him would be rewarding bad behavior.

But this is typical of Rosenhaus. He doesn't want players to honor contracts. He wants more money in his pocket. He has proven he is willing to sacrifice one player if it is a net gain for him. Hold 10 players out. If 8 get a better contract and 2 suffer, he still makes out. Screw the 2 that loose. He is a low class act.

http://www.maxim.com/entertainment/sports/article/drew-rosenhaus-superagent-or-devil

 

If anyone of US was the best in the country at are job, ,we would want more $

 

yet we picked up DD's 5th year option at 8.9 mil. that's more than AB in any of his next 3 years. I'd be kinda pizzed too. not that it's right but this is becoming stupid. no way I'd pay DD and not AB as equals because they are not. AB did sign his contract, this crap of paying more because you play good and having to pay a kings ransom to keep a draft pick for a 5th year is crap. I hope we do draft a guard and a wr in the first two rounds this year. next will be bell bellyaching.

 

exactly you sign a contract and you respect that , if he wants more money he should ask them to woodley that stole us a couple of big year salaries ..

 

When the Steelers signed him as a 6th round pick after his 2nd year they game him a contract that allowed him to build to #1 WR money. If Antonio Brown signed that contract thinking or knowing "I am going to be one of the best if not the best WR in the league in 3 years" then he shouldn't have signed the contract.

Actually at the time he was thankful for the contract and was stoked the Steelers were placing so much belief and faith in him. I got news for Antonio....you do not shake down the Rooneys, ain't gonna happen. He either shows up to camp or he isn't going to get paid.

 

Hey, if salaries could change every year based on play, then that's fair. AB should get more than DeCastro. But I don't expect AB would be on board with his salary dropping if he has an off year, do you? It's just not how salaries work. Almost every guy in the league could point to someone else and say, "I'm better than that guy, I should get more money." That may be true, but if that's how you want to be, then you should sign a 1 year deal every single season.

We overpaid Brown based on his potential. He hit that potential, and now he seems underpaid. If that was going to be a problem for him, he should have turned down the contract we offered, and played out his rookie contract to see if he could get more the next year (which he could have). But he's wanting it both ways - overpay me when I'm not proven enough, and then bump it way up after I prove it. Sorry, pal. Not buying it. If this is true, I hope the Steelers tell him to kick rocks.