Because sports fans love to bet on everything, Bovada released the latest odds on which team will land disgruntled Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown before the start of the 2019 season.
The Steelers have the best odds of the top five teams on the list. What is the most likely destination outside of Pittsburgh, according to Bovada? That would be the San Francisco 49ers, which happen to be the only NFC team in the top five. The organizations behind San Francisco are the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Jets, and the Oakland Raiders.
| Team | Odds |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | -500 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +275 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +800 |
| New York Jets | +800 |
| Oakland Raiders | +1100 |
Pittsburgh, of course, holds all the cards in the situation. Brown is under contract through the 2021 season, and the Steelers don't have an out on the deal until after the 2020 season. Trading or releasing the receiver would be costly for Pittsburgh.
The one thing going for the 49ers is that Brown appears to want to play in San Francisco. He unfollowed the Steelers on Instagram and then followed the 49ers and several players from the team. One of those players is tight end George Kittle, who reached out to Brown via Twitter on New Year's Eve and said, "Sup?" Then Brown responded.
— Antonio Brown (@AB84) January 1, 2019
The next morning, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that Brown has requested to be traded from the Steelers.
Brown and the Steelers aren't seeing eye-to-eye. The receiver missed the team's finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. There were reports from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of a confrontation with a teammate and Brown skipping out on team meetings and practices leading to the game.
Brown reportedly showed up at Heinz Field expecting to play against the Bengals, was not allowed to play, and left the stadium at halftime.
There are no doubts about Brown's talent level. He registered 104 receptions with a league-leading 15 receiving touchdowns through 15 games in 2018, and he has reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark in seven of his nine NFL seasons.
Brown is also a four-time first-team All-Pro (2014–2017), a seven-time Pro Bowl selection (2011, 2013–2018), and has led the NFL in receptions twice (2014, 2015) and receiving yards twice (2014, 2017).
One NFL great who would love to see Brown join the 49ers is Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who says he has spoken to the Steelers wideout several times.
"I know for one thing with Antonio Brown, he's the complete player," Rice said Wednesday on 95.7 The Game. "He's going to bring everything to the football field. He's a team player, and he's going to go out, and he's going to work his butt off. Right now, there is something happening in Pittsburgh, but I think he would be a great addition to the San Francisco 49ers."
H/t to @OddsSharkBob for the find.