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It seems that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown isn’t buying the reported news that he may be on his way to the Buffalo Bills. After NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that the Bills were nearing a deal to acquire Brown via trade, the All-Pro wide receiver responded to that report in strong fashion.
As Bleacher Report first revealed, Brown took to Instagram and responded to the NFL’s official account by calling the trade report “fake news.”
.@AB84 isn’t having it
While terms of the deal have not been revealed, it’s an eye-opening landing spot, considering the Bills seemingly flew under the radar throughout trade talks. Multiple other teams were linked as a potential landing spot for Brown, but barring something changing, it seems as though Buffalo will be the star receiver’s new team.
Raiders, Redskins & Titans Were at ‘Forefront’ of Trade Talks
Among the teams who had been linked as top trade options for Brown, the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins were referenced often. The Tennessee Titans also were mentioned as being in the mix, and Rapoport reported that all three of these teams had jumped to the “forefront” of trade talks.
Any of the three teams could have made sense, but the Bills have a massive need at receiver, so they’re certainly a fit. Interestingly, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal addressed the Raiders side of negotiations by reporting the team “balked” at a new contract and opted to hold off on a deal.
Oakland has a need at the position after trading former No. 1 wideout Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2018 season. The Redskins have also lacked a true No. 1 wide receiver while the Titans could have paired Brown up with a talented young pass-catcher in Corey Davis.
Antonio Brown Set to Immediately Bolster Bills Passing Attack
Assuming things go through and this comment or something far beyond it doesn’t derail the reported deal, Brown would give a huge boost to the Bills passing attack. More specifically, he’d help a young wide receiver group which doesn’t have much in terms of veteran leadership.
Zay Jones led the team in receiving during the 2018 season with 56 catches for 652 yards and seven touchdowns. Beyond that, Buffalo’s next leading wide receiver in Robert Foster had 27 catches for 541 yards. Due to the lack of consistency through the air, running back LeSean McCoy tallied the Bills’ second-most receptions with 34.
Stay tuned, but if things pan out, second-year quarterback Josh Allen will be throwing to one of the NFL’s best wide receivers next season. And if that’s the case, the Bills offense could take a major step forward.
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