Antonio Brown Hints at Bucs’ Decision on Possible Release With IG Post

Days before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the New Orleans Saints, Antonio Brown posted a short video clip from the team’s practice facility to his Instagram Story. This is significant as it indicates the Buccaneers appear poised to keep Brown on the roster after considering his potential release. Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud believes this likely shows the Buccaneers will not release the star receiver.

“If you’re wondering what the decision on Antonio Brown will be, he posted this photo of himself at the Bucs indoor facility on Instagram today,” Stroud tweeted on December 17.

During his final Week 15 media session, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians declined to reveal the team’s decision on Brown and safety Mike Edwards’ future with the team. After the NFL suspended both players for falsifying vaccination documents, Arians was open about the team potentially releasing Brown and Edwards.

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“It’s just a matter of making a statement and whether I do it before this game or after we’ll wait and see,” Arians noted during his December 17 press conference. “But I don’t want anything to be distracting from this game.”

Here is a look at a screenshot of Brown’s post that has social media buzzing.

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Brown & Edwards Are Eligible to Return vs. Panthers on December 26

Assuming the Buccaneers do not cut either player, Brown and Edwards will be eligible to play in Week 16 against the Panthers on December 26 after serving their three-game suspensions. After the league initially announced the suspensions, Arians noted that he would “address their future” after the three-week period.

“Alright, obviously we have two guys suspended. The league did their due diligence and we move on,” Arians explained during his December 3 press conference. “I will not address those guys for the next three weeks. They’ll just be working out, and then we’ll address their future at that time. Other than that, there’s really nothing to say.”

The Bucs May Not Re-Sign A.B. in 2022

It never quite made sense that the Buccaneers would retain Brown for three more weeks allowing the issue to remain in question, only to release the star receiver after the suspension was served. That said, Brown’s future with the Buccaneers remains uncertain as the wideout is in the final months of a one-year, $3.1 million contract he signed last offseason.

It will be interesting to see how the most recent incident impacts his chances of re-signing with Tampa Bay in 2022. The Athletic’s Greg Auman believes the Buccaneers could move on from Brown this offseason, opening up increased opportunities for some of the team’s young receivers.

“His stats in those five games — 29 catches, 418 yards, four touchdowns — would prorate to an impressive full season,” Auman noted on December 16. “If the Bucs will excuse the vaccine issue, would they bring him back as a Brady favorite? Would there be more of a market for him as a free agent than last year, when he returned from suspension and played well in a half-season, catching a touchdown in the Super Bowl?

“…As long as Godwin is back, it’s possible the Bucs trust their young depth (Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller, Jaelon Darden) and let Brown move on, avoiding the collective risk of his age, injury status and off-field problems. Where he lands and how much he gets is hard to peg, though the one-year, $4 million range sounds low-risk enough.”