It is unknown if the San Francisco 49ers ever had any interest in wide receiver Antonio Brown. The disgruntled NFL star has made it clear that his interest in his current team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, is diminishing. Brown has also expressed an interest in joining the 49ers.
The Steelers are more than willing to move on from Brown should they find a suitable trade partner. The team also hasn't closed the door on a potential reconciliation with Brown.
Brown may be hurting his perceived trade value this offseason. He was involved in a domestic dispute in January but his attorney, Jaclyn Soroka, called the accusations by the alleged victim "baseless" and "false."
Jaclyn Soroka, Antonio Brown's family attorney, says in statement to ESPN that Brown has filed for custody of his daughter in light of the domestic incident with the mother of Brown's child. pic.twitter.com/A8OnVIsZ3o
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 8, 2019
Brown is also facing a civil lawsuit for an alleged furniture-tossing incident in Florida last year. That is in addition to a reckless driving charge following a November traffic stop which occurred because Brown was traveling over 100 mph in an area where the speed limit is 45 mph.
The incident reportedly occurred just hours before the Steelers' Week 10 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, a game Pittsburgh won 52-21. Brown registered six receptions on six targets for 96 yards with a touchdown in the matchup.
PennLive.com revealed on Tuesday morning that Brown has been found guilty of that reckless driving charge and the case is now closed.
The 49ers will certainly do their due-diligence on Brown should they be interested in acquiring the seven-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time first-team All-Pro receiver. Such an addition would be significant for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Kyle-Shanahan-led offense, which has lacked a true red-zone threat at receiver.
Acquiring a player like Brown would also take a lot of pressure off of tight end George Kittle, who, without another receiving threat, will likely be the focus of defensive coordinators.
Brown finished the 2018 season with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards with 15 trips into the end zone. He has registered 1,000-or-more yards in seven of his nine NFL seasons and has surpassed 1,200 yards in each of his past six.
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.