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Brown is out the door in Pittsburgh and running as fast as he can to what he hopes are greener pastures. The Steelers, of course, control his fate. He will likely be traded before the start of the new league year on March 13.
Beckham's name has resurfaced in trade rumors because of a bold prediction by Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer and not much else. Then again, Glazer does have a solid track record and, of course, insider information. Las Vegas oddsmakers didn't expect Brown to return to the Steelers. They also don't expect Beckham to go anywhere.
Until the fates of both receivers are known, their names will continue to be linked to the 49ers because the team has the money to absorb their contracts and a desperate need at the position. San Francisco has lacked a big-bodied red zone threat at receiver for years.
Chris Simms, formerly of Bleacher Report and now exclusively with NBC Sports, joined the 49ers Insider Podcast this week and was asked which receiver is the better fit for head coach Kyle Shanahan and if he could see the team making a play for either. Simms might know how Shanahan thinks. The two were college teammates and remain friends.
After that, Simms made his choice clear.
"First off, I do think Odell Beckham Jr. is the better player, and he's younger," he continued. "I would say Odell Beckham Jr. hasn't really even reached the prime of his career yet. So that's where he's at in the player window, and that's special.
"Add to the fact that the contract situation is figured out. The Giants have paid a decent amount of the guaranteed money already, so that would be favorable for any team trying to trade (for) Odell Beckham Jr.
"I might be a little bit of a homer with Odell Beckham Jr. but I argue this all the time, Odell Beckham Jr. is as talented of a receiver that I've ever seen in the NFL. I truly believe that if his head stays on straight, and he's healthy, that he can go down as the greatest receiver of all-time. He is that type of special talent to me."
"I would say buyer beware with Antonio Brown," he said. "That's the first thing I would say."
Simms points out that Brown's viral video from this week showed the receiver declaring that he wants more guaranteed money. That's a factor for NFL teams. He went on to discuss Brown's age. Beckham is 26 years old while Brown will be 31 when the 2019 season kicks off.
"I will say, in my own personal opinion — I watch a lot of film and breakdown teams, and games, and players — I thought Antonio Brown did lose a step a little bit this year," Simms said. "That's not to say he's still not great. He's still great, but he's not the guy we saw three and four years ago. This is the age when receivers do start to lose explosiveness and speed a little bit."
Simms doesn't like that Beckham and Brown are grouped together while discussing receivers with off-the-field problems.
"It bothers me when they get lumped together like that. I don't get that part of it. I'm not saying either one of them is a choir boy, obviously. Odell Beckham Jr. is not a choir boy. I get that, but I think Antonio Brown comes with a whole lot more baggage than Odell Beckham Jr."
Simms acknowledged that Brown works hard and is a great football player, but also hears from players, coaches, and executives in Pittsburgh that the receiver is somewhat self-absorbed.
"At the end of the day, he doesn't care if the Steelers win or lose, he just wants to know how many catches he had, how many yards he had," Simms said. "He is habitually late on a weekly basis. So he is a handful. I think that is not the kind of guy that Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers want to risk going into a crucial third year [with]."
You can listen to the entire interview with Simms below.
