Wide receiver Antonio Brown cleared waivers on Friday after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. That officially makes him a free agent. However, teams may be hesitant to sign him given how things ended with his former team.
During the third quarter of the Buccaneers' Week 17 contest against the New York Jets, Brown shockingly took off his helmet, jersey, and pads, and then exited MetLife Stadium.
"He is no longer a Buc," head coach Bruce Arians said after the game.
On Friday morning, before Brown cleared waivers, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch took part in his weekly KNBR interview. Surprisingly, he was asked if his team might be interested in Brown given his 49ers might be headed to the playoffs with a win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday or a New Orleans Saints loss.
"I'm so focused on this week," Lynch responded on the Murph & Mac show. "I haven't even thought of that, to be honest. You look at the kid, you feel sorry for him. That kind of spectacle, handling it the way he handled it. I don't know everything that went into it but you hope, if he needs help, he gets the help he needs.
"I care more for the person right now than about our situation because I'm not at that point right now. He's been a fabulous player in our league but I think when things start repeating themselves, you probably know the answer."
It's not a surprising response from the 49ers general manager, given the team's past endeavors to avoid locker-room distractions that might divide the players.
The 49ers and Rams are slated to kick off from SoFi Stadium on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT.
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