Well, seeing how he currently has absolutely no leverage for a holdout...
...and therein the crux of the problem still remains.Brown, who led the league last season in both receptions and receiving yardage, also told the media that anything related to his contract is up to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
Personally, I'm already mentally preparing to eventually lose Brown to FA when some sad sack team offers him an absolutely ridiculous amount of money. And Rosenhaus WILL go for the top dollar amount possible to pad his own commission. One thing the Steelers simply (and very wisely) don't do is massively overpay for WRs.
It'll be interesting to see the contract of Julio Jones, Thomas of the Broncos,A.J Green and Dez Bryant, but the Steelers will have Antonio Brown for at least 4 more years since if they are smart the steelers will put the franchise tag on Brown after the 2017 season if Brown has not have a new contract.
Yep, that should coincide fairly closely to when Ben hangs it up and the team's window truly slams shut and it's forced into rebuilding mode.
Then it will really make no difference, because why break the bank for a thoroughbred at WR when you (probably) have at best a third-tier scrub at QB? (See: Megatron/Lions and Marshall/Bears - before Marshall got traded again, but then he isn't going to have anyone worth two squirts of piss throwing to him in NY either)
Because unless he suffers a catastrophic injury or his performance falls off a cliff, Brown's price is going to only go up (and probably by a LOT) between now and then.
And Antonio Brown will also have 30-31 years old after the 2018 season
If he leaves after the 2017 or 2018 season, at least his best years will have been with the Steelers(Like Albert Pujols with the cardinals in MLB)
Write this down..........
http://pit.247sports.com/Bolt/Antoni...p-too-37447769Brown emphasized that he wants to maintain his reputation in Pittsburgh and not let money get in the way.
"This is a community that I love," Brown said Tuesday. "My kids go to school here. I want to keep a good reputation. Obviously money's not important to me. I've got enough. The organization has extremely blessed me. I'm ready to play football."
It is normal that Brown wants a new contract, since he is underpaid but Brown seems to have the right attitude
Antonio Brown on reported holdout: 'Money's not important to me'
By Ryan Wilson | CBSSports.com
May 26, 2015
Antonio Brown caught 129 passes for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He was the top-rated wide receiver according to both Football Outsiders and ProFootballFocus, and the latter recently ranked him the seventh-best playerin the entire league. But Brown's contract, which he signed almost three years ago, doesn't compensate him accordingly.
And that fact goes a long way in explaining why Brown may have contemplated a holdout earlier this spring. There were reports in April that the Pro Bowler was looking for a new deal, but after that trial balloon was met with predictable disdain from fans, Brown apparently had a change of heart.
Two days after the aforementioned reports, Brown tweeted that his absence from voluntary workouts was because spending time with his newborn and that he couldn't "wait to get back to my teammates."
On the first day of OTAs Tuesday, Brown was asked about his contract situation.
That's totally up to my agent," he said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I'm here singularly focused to get better and better on my game. This organization has been nothing but first class to me, believing in my time and my skills since I got here. I'm ready to pay them back with my work ethic. ...
"This is a community that I love," he continued. "My kids go to school here. I want to keep a good reputation. Obviously money's not important to me. I've got enough. The organization has extremely blessed me. I'm ready to play football."
to read rest of article:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-...mportant-to-me
Whelp with Dez Bryant's new mega deal - http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5558/dez-bryant
And Demaryius Thomas' - http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/...maryius-thomas
The Steelers better start freeing up cap space for AB.
This is a relief, because I thought that Thomas and/or Bryant was going to be free agent next year and that a team would offer the same contract that Calvin Johnson
5 years 70 million is a price that the steelers and other team can afford
I would have no problem if the steelers give right now a contract extension to Brown, even if the price is 14-15 million per year
If Brown continues to be dominant like that, there's no reason to not to sign Brown
In the NFL, when you have an elite player, you have to keep him,even if the price is high
Today/since last year, we have seen that the WR position is less expensive than the DL(Suh,Watt) or OLB(Houston) position
It will be interesting to see what happens, although I think that he'll stay. It seems like the salary cap will actually continue to grow, so that will help. Plus, fat-ass Woodley's dead money will be off the books, along with Troy's dead money before too long.
We can't forget DeCastro's looming contract as well.
AB's extension money is basically already on the books in the Woodley and Polamalu dead money from this year.
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/cap/
Should be possible if they get "cute" with the deals for AB, Ben, Decastro, and Heyward and assuming the cap continues to rise each season.
If last year is not a fluke for Bell, his contract will be between 8-10 million per year
What makes Bell special is that he is also an excellent receiver...Bell was the 2nd best receiver(in yards) of the steelers last year
Brown and Bell are too important to let them go and if the Steelers not give a horrible contract to other players, the steelers should be able to keep both players
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/contracts/running-back/
Could be in that range, but similar players (Foster, McCoy, Forte) are at the low end of that scale. I say offer a bit "low" somewhere in the 7-8 per year range and simply guarantee a bit more of it (say 65%).
I agree, it SHOULD be possible to keep both. Especially if you can keep paying the other WRs on cheaper deals.
Antonio Brown: Holdouts 'always end badly'
Antonio Brown might have been bluffing in April when he threatened to hold out for a new deal or he probably had a change of heart when he realized he can afford a Rolls-Royce.
The Steelers wide receiver arrived to the first day of training camp on Saturday in a customized black and gold Rolls-Royce and put an end to the hold out speculation.
"Hold outs never go well," said Brown, who signed a six-year, $43 million deal before the 2012 season. "Just look at history. It always ends badly. It wouldn't be the best decision. I make a lot of money. I pull up to camp in Rolls-Royces."
The 5-foot-10 Brown's current contract places him eighth overall in terms of total value at the position, but his per-year average ranks just 14th, behind the likes of Vincent Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Pierre Garcon, per OverTheCap.com. Brown is scheduled to receive $6 million for the 2015 season.
Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signed five-year, $70 million deals with their respective teams earlier this month -- Brown is certainly in their class of elite wideouts and could be in line for a similar pay day in the near future.
"You know you get caught up thinking about the future you lose sight of the present," Brown said. "What I'm here to do today is to show how hard I've been working, showcase I can still be the best in the world and help my team win football games."
read more
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...gn=Twitter_atn