Garafolo: No sense that the 49ers are going to strongly pursue Antonio Brown

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown would love to play for the San Francisco 49ers. 49ers players would seemingly welcome him into their locker room if it meant improving the team, which finished this past season with just four victories.

Beyond that, there is a whole lot of uncertainty.

49ers general manager John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan would need to have a strong desire to bring Brown to Santa Clara despite the friction between him and his current team. Then they would have to meet whatever demands the Steelers put forth. Not only that, but San Francisco would need to outbid any other interested teams.

Steelers president Art Rooney II has already said that he can't envision Brown being with the team when players report to training camp in July. That means the organization is open to parting ways with the frustrated receiver if the price is right.

Just how interested are the 49ers in acquiring Brown? Not as interested as Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice is in having the Steelers wideout play for his former team, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

The NFL insider discussed Brown over the weekend on SportsCentre with Jay and Dan, a Canadien program airing on TSN. A portion of the segment was posted on the show's official Twitter account.


"There's been some flirtation on social media with him and Niners tight end George Kittle, and some other references to the fact he wants to play in San Francisco," Garafolo said on-air. "Now, the question is: Are the 49ers going to want him and are they going to be able to give up what it's going to take to get him there from Pittsburgh?

"I'm told right now, it's just Jerry Rice and Antonio Brown, who are pretty tight, putting this out there, trying to lay the groundwork for it, and that the Niners haven't pursued it to that extent. The Steelers really haven't had any trade talks with teams at this point, so this is still going to develop going forward."

Jason La Canfora reported in January that the Steelers are expected to begin trade talks next month during the NFL Scouting Combine. The CBS Sports reporter also stated that team officials are anticipating a "blockbuster trade" which would include a first-round pick.

The 49ers' first-round pick is a high one. They are situated at the No. 2 slot in the overall draft order and have several areas of need.

Garafolo went on to say the Steelers aren't closing the door on Brown possibly returning, but that the receiver would basically have to come back "groveling."

"I don't see that happening," Garafolo continued, "so this continues to be a storyline to watch. The Niners are in an interesting spot because they could use a number one receiver. But right now, no sense that they're going to be in strong pursuit of him."

H/t to NBC Sports Bay Area for the find