The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to explore trade possibilities for Antonio Brown this offseason, but they have made it clear that they will not sell him for pennies on the dollar just because he is disgruntled. In addition to that, they may only be willing to trade the star wide receiver to certain teams.
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert told reporters on Wednesday that “interest has grown” in Brown, but he reiterated that Brown will be back with the team in 2019 if there are no fair offers for him. Colbert also hinted that Pittsburgh would like to be selective about where they send the All-Pro.
“Interest has grown.” — #Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, on a possible Antonio Brown trade. “Ideally you’ll like to trade him to someone you’d never play. But if a team comes through with the best compensation you have to weigh that.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2019
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler later reported that the Steelers would prefer to trade Brown to an NFC team.
A source says Steelers prefer to trade Brown to NFC, but Colbert reiterates compensation will be the driving force.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 27, 2019
Brown is still an incredibly productive player, so it makes sense that the Steelers will do everything they can to avoid being burned by him. The last thing they want is him catching a touchdown pass against them in the playoffs while wearing a Baltimore Ravens or New England Patriots uniform.
For what it’s worth, players from NFC teams have already been trying to recruit Brown. That shouldn’t matter much to the Steelers, but it’s fair to wonder if they would offer an NFC team a slightly discounted price over one of their AFC rivals.
