Antonio Brown does not want to be traded out of Pittsburgh despite the turmoil surrounding the Steelers right now, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN.
Brown, one of the top playmakers in the NFL, missed meetings with the team Monday because of a personal issue, according to Rosenhaus. The receiver’s absence came after a 42-37 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday in which he was noticeably upset on the sideline.
On Monday morning, fuel was added to the fire when Brown tweeted “Trade me let’s find out” at a former Steelers employee who said he would never be the same player without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
That set off a firestorm of speculation on shows like “First Take” about whether there was any seriousness to Brown’s social media comment.
However, Rosenhaus shot that down Tuesday and said there are no plans to request a trade for Brown.
“The tweet yesterday was not in reference to anything other than Antonio responding to a person he knows,” said Drew Rosenhaus, Brown’s agent. “It was not directed towards a trade, or wanting to be trading. It was a personal response to a former Steelers employee who insulted him. Any idea he was asking for a trade is not accurate.
“Secondly, yesterday he had a personal matter. I talked to the team about it. His issue was unrelated to the tweet or his relationship with the team. Third, anything you see between AB and the coaches, AB has an incredible drive to win. He just wants to win. That’s all that that is. That’s not anything more than him encouraging his coaches and teammates to win. And that’s what his entire focus is on. Any notion, any speculation otherwise, can be put to bed. This is a non-story that has been blown out of proportion. We can end this right here and now.”
Brown received 33 targets from Roethlisberger in the Steelers’ first two games of 2018, so he remains a major focal point of the offense. He recorded 18 catches for 160 yards and one touchdown off all those targets, which puts him on pace to easily surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the sixth consecutive season.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is set to meet with Brown on Tuesday to work out any issues. The drama between the receiver and the team comes while superstar running back Le’Veon Bell remains in a holdout with no end in sight. Second-year back James Conner has recorded 39 carries for 152 yards and three touchdowns in Bell’s place so far.
