The Steelers offense already misses Le’Veon Bell. The last thing the team needs is Antonio Brown talking about leaving Pittsburgh.
At 0-1-1 it’s safe to say the 2018 season isn’t off to a hot start for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Part of their struggles can absolutely be traced back to Le’Veon Bell’s holdout. This is not an offense that can afford to lose any more weapons.
In particular, the thought of playing without Antonio Brown should strike fear in the hearts of Steelers fans around the globe. He’s already caught 18 balls for 160 yards and a touchdown this season. Perhaps more importantly, Ben Roethlisberger has already targeted him 33 times on the young season.
The number of chances he gets to put up stats in the Steelers’ offense has some questioning his value to the franchise. That’s nonsense, but the heat on social media is starting to get to their star wide receiver. One man, in particular, got on Brown’s nerves with his suggestion that he wouldn’t have made nearly as much money if he had been drafted by a different franchise.
Brown’s response to that tweet should send shudders down Roethlisberger’s spine. He simply responded that Pittsburgh could trade him and then everyone would find out. That’s just the kind of move that could transform the Steelers from a fringe playoff team to a franchise picking at the top of next year’s draft.
Fortunately, no one in the organization is going to take this idea seriously. Brown can say whatever he wants on social media, but he’s going to remain a Steeler for the foreseeable future. It’s impossible to envision the franchise trading him anytime soon.
What Steelers fans should be concerned about, is what this tweet says about Brown’s current state of mind. There’s enough drama in the Pittsburgh locker room without him creating a firestorm on social media. It’s an immature statement from a player that the Steelers need to be a rock at the moment.
Some will say this is overreacting to a shot back at a crazy tweet from a former Steelers PR man, but Brown knew what this sort of statement would do. He’s only managed to destabilize a locker room that’s in desperate need of normalcy.