Buccaneers downplay concerns about health of Antonio Brown

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are downplaying concerns about the health of Antonio Brown with the wide receiver’s deal on hold.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the wide receiver underwent a successful knee surgery on Tuesday that was described as a routine clean-up procedure. However, the Buccaneers still will not make Brown’s new deal with the team official until he can pass a physical.

#Bucs WR Antonio Brown underwent successful knee surgery on Tuesday, a clean-out after some issues last season. Just a few weeks of recovery, then he’ll be ready to go. Coach Bruce Arians said on The Pewter Report Podcast that his deal will be official when he passes a physical.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 19, 2021

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht clarified to JoeBucsFan.com’s Ira Kaufman that the team has no real worries about Brown’s health, and that he’s expected to sign his contract next week.

“No, not concerned. The plan all along is to have him come in — I think he is coming in Monday to sign,” Licht said.

Brown’s new deal with the team was reported almost a month ago, so it definitely raises some eyebrows that he has yet to officially sign. Assuming the knee situation is really all there is to it, it’s unlikely to be a huge deal. Until the team makes the deal official, however, questions are going to linger about the wide receiver’s health.