Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has requested to be traded, according to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Antonio Brown has requested a trade. Im told it was not a demand but he has asked to be dealt. Very unlikely Rooney would capitulate. Brown has issues with Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger. Feels like the coach is too aligned with the QB.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 1, 2019
Normally, we wouldn't classify this as news related to the San Francisco 49ers except for an exchange late last night between Brown and tight end George Kittle. That exchange, shown below, has been wildly interpreted by fans of the Steelers, the 49ers, and the media in general.
Sup? @AB84
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) January 1, 2019
— Antonio Brown (@AB84) January 1, 2019
Many saw the exchange as an attempt on Kittle's part to court Brown, who is under contract with Pittsburgh through the 2021 season. La Canfora's report came 12 hours later.
There are some concerns about adding Brown to a cohesive locker room like the one in Santa Clara and whether or not head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch would see him as a fit. There is also no doubt that the 49ers are in need of a true No. 1 wide receiver and Brown certainly fits that need.
Brown might even be intrigued by the possibility of joining Kittle, who set a new record on Sunday for the most single-season yards by a tight end. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo figures to be healthy next season and teams will likely focus more on stopping Kittle, which will open up opportunities for other weapons.
The 49ers are also expected to have running backs Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida healthy for the new season, giving Garoppolo even more weapons.
Brown missed Sunday's finale against the Cincinnati Bengals after a confrontation with a teammate and skipping out on team meetings and practices leading to the game, according to a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"He did not attend Saturday's walk-through practice and skipped the Saturday night meeting at the team hotel — the latest in missed meetings by the All-Pro receiver," reported Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette. "Brown was never on the field for the start of the game against the Bengals and left Heinz Field at halftime, according to multiple sources."
The report states that Brown showed up to Heinz Field expecting to play against the Bengals.
Then there is the issue of the cap ramifications for the Steelers should they part ways with Brown. The team would still be on the hook for over $21 million because of the way the receiver's contract is structured.
Brown has 11,207 career receiving yards with 74 touchdowns through nine NFL seasons and has posted 1,000-or-more receiving yards in all but two of those seasons. He caught 104 passes for 1,297 yards through 15 games in 2018.
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.