Should the Pittsburgh Steelers seriously consider moving Antonio Brown in the offseason?
The 2019 NFL offseason is off to a hot start already for those teams who weren’t able to make it into the postseason. And one of the more famous names who missed the playoffs just so happens to be the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s been a while since the Steelers have made it to the biggest stage in football, but to see them not in the playoffs is an entirely different story.
Somehow, the Steelers managed to miss the postseason in 2018-2019. We can’t precisely pinpoint the actual reason why they aren’t in the tournament, but locker room chemistry could definitely play a significant part as to why Pittsburgh’s season was finished before the new year.
It all started with the holdout of running back, Le’Veon Bell. The veteran running back wanted more guaranteed money, and Pittsburgh was not willing to give it to him. Therefore, it led to Bell holding out from the team in the regular season, and making it clear that he was no longer going to play in Pittsburgh. Right off the bat, the Steelers were already distracted. Now, mix in a frustrated quarterback and star wide receiver and boom, just like that the season is in turmoil.
Brown was distracted much earlier this year
While everybody is talking about Antonio Brown’s final week of the season, let’s not forget that he was distracted earlier on in the year when he made a ridiculous claim on Twitter. When Brown was called out for being a product of his quarterback being a future Hall of Famer, Brown called for Pittsburgh to trade him so everybody could find out that he could soar on his own.
Obviously, Brown didn’t mean anything by that other than telling the world that he’s a good receiver without Big Ben. Or so we thought at least. Now it turns out that Brown is not all that thrilled with his situation in Pittsburgh, and it’s stirring up more drama. So at this point, what should the Steelers do? Try to get passed this entire dilemma? Or just get rid of Brown altogether and start a new era for the Steelers?
Shannon Sharpe has a solution
"If I'm the Steelers, I'm looking to move Antonio Brown. … I didn't make the playoffs with him. I'm not winning championships with him, so what good is he doing me? He's causing a disturbance. My two best players are the worst leaders." — @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/d8FidAn7ed
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 2, 2019
According to former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe, the Steelers shouldn’t hesitate too much to move Brown. Yes, Brown may be one of the best wideouts in the league, but they haven’t been able to win anything significant with him. As a former player, Sharpe may know a thing or two about locker room disputes that lead to on-field struggles. In this case, Sharpe knows exactly what he’s talking about.
The jury is still out there on Antonio Brown and whether he’s an actual locker room cancer or not. Some say that he’s just frustrated and speaking out. Others will say he’s a selfish, ‘me-first’ player. Regardless of the situation though, it feels like Pittsburgh’s relationships with star players recently have all gone south. At this point, it seems like Pittsburgh should seriously consider turning a page and entering a re-build.
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