Now that Antonio Brown has officially asked for a trade, the question is where will he end up? In this post we will break up the league into groups based on their likelihood of acquiring the Pro-Bowl receiver.
The arch rivals: Browns, Bengals, Ravens, Patriots
Any article that hints that these teams are in the mix, stop reading immediately. There is no possible way the Steelers would trade Brown to a division rival or New England. They’d be much more likely to trade him to an NHL team before one of these franchises.
Teams that are tapped out: Bears, Saints, Cowboys
These teams have already emptied their war chest on other players, and therefore are very unlikely to make another big move. You can’t completely rule them out, but it’s doubtful at best. The Cowboys are still one to keep an eye on however. Jerry Jones is an aggressive owner who wants one more Super Bowl before he goes. The team’s lack of a first round pick makes a deal difficult, but not impossible.
The teams that “don’t need receivers” : Vikings, Chargers, Chiefs, Giants, Rams, Falcons, Texans
All the above teams are loaded at wide receiver and would be hesitant to give up assets for another one. The team to watch here may be the Los Angeles Rams. They have shown a boldness few other NFL teams have. While they are loaded at receiver, Antonio Brown would be a serious upgrade to any of them. The Rams could at least get involved just to drive up the price for their division rivals in San Francisco.
The “bad fit” group: Titans, Lions, Bills, Buccaneers,
All for different reasons, but these four teams would not be a good fit for Antonio Brown. With the Lions and Titans its a case of former Belichick disciples as coaches who aren’t eager to acquire a diva receiver. In the case of the Bills, its very likely Brown and his agent would do everything in their power to make that trade difficult. There’s no way AB wants to play there. Old friend Bruce Arians has already publicly said he’s not interested, so count the Bucs out too.
The “bad management” group: Cardinals, Raiders, Jets, Dolphins, Jaguars, Redskins, Broncos
Now we are at the part of the program where we get to the teams who have a realistic shot at acquiring Antonio Brown. This is a group of teams who have made terrible decisions in the past, and will aid in driving up the price on AB. I would put the Jets and Redskins at the head of this class in terms of interest for Brown. New York is desperate to make a splash and become relevant in the NFL once again. New head coach Adam Gase has very little to work with in the wide receiver department. He is in real need of a playmaker to pair with quarterback Sam Darnold. As far as the Redskins go, this is Daniel Snyder’s team……..enough said.
The “pair him with a great QB” group: 49ers, Colts, Panthers, Packers, Eagles, Seahawks
This group of teams all have very good quarterbacks in place, and feel like they are one offensive piece away from really contending for a Super Bowl. The eventual landing spot for Antonio Brown will almost certainly come from this collection of teams. The allure of adding Brown with their franchise quarterback will overshadow any issues that come with acquiring the Steelers receiver. Just imagine pairing Antonio Brown with Aaron Rogers, or Jimmy G, or even Andrew Luck. You can bet your life their owners have.