Getty Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
The Dallas Cowboys are always tied to the splashiest names, with the latest playmaker linked to Big D being Antonio Brown. As the Bucs released Brown following his Week 17 outburst, longtime NFL executive and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum sees the Cowboys as a potential landing spot for Brown. Tannenbaum cited Michael Gallup’s recent season-ending ACL injury as a reason the Cowboys may be willing to take a risk on Brown.
“I could see a team like the Dallas Cowboys bringing him [in] and talking to him and maybe not even signing him initially, but if they go through the process, they simply could sign him to a one-day contract and say , ‘Hey, if today’s practice goes well, you could come back tomorrow,'” Tannenbaum detailed on ESPN’s Get Up on January 4. “And put in an infrastructure where he’s getting the help that he needs and then helping them obviously on the field given what just happened with Michael Gallup.
“So, while it’s not likely, it could happen and in this day and age of COVID and everyone looking at this from a week-to-week standpoint, you simply could say, ‘Hey, we’re going to stand shoulder to shoulder, Antonio and your NFL career, if there is one, is on life support. So if you practice well today, you’re going to come back tomorrow.'”
Here is a look at Tannenbaum’s pitch about the Cowboys adding Brown.
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Brown Is Planning on Having Season-Ending Surgery
Health over Wealth # Barbarian
Tannenbaum’s wild idea is unlikely to transpire, at least this season, as Brown revealed he is planning to have surgery on his injured ankle. The rumors could heat up again in free agency when Brown can sign with the Cowboys or another team this offseason.
Brown released a lengthy statement to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via his attorney Sean Burstyn) calling out the Buccaneers by claiming the team attempted to force him to play through a painful ankle injury. Bucs head Coach Bruce Arians has since denied Brown’s claim. Brown emphasized that he plans to play during the 2022 season after he completes his recovery from surgery.
“Once my surgery is complete, I’ll be back to 100% and looking forward to next season,” Brown noted. “Business gonna be BOOMIN!”
Jones Has Shown Little Interest in Adding A.B. in the Past
The chances of the Cowboys making a legitimate run at Brown this offseason are likely slim. Dallas has had plenty of opportunities to pursue Brown in recent years after he has been released multiple times. During an October 2019 interview with Dallas’ 105.3 the Fan, Jones poured cold water on the idea that the Cowboys would make a run at Brown.
“Again, I don’t want to be talking about the player [Brown], I [like] our depth,” Jones said at the time. “We’ve got guys that we haven’t seen…We’ve got players out there that I think give us as good a depth at receiver that we have on the squad, let me be real clear about that, as I’ve seen us have in years. So, I’m not speaking to Antonio, I’m not speaking to anybody, but I would believe we’d go with the depth.”