Antonio Brown A Step Closer To Staying
February 15th, 2021
Bucs trying to lure him back.
The following seems to be good news for the Bucs in their quest to retain furniture-tossing, bicycle-throwing free agent receiver Antonio Brown.
Joe wonder, however, how this would impact Chris Godwin’s status? He too is a free agent this spring.
First, Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians wants Brown (and he wants Godwin, too). And Brown is wanted by park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, trophy-throwing Bucs Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
Naturally, whatever Tequila Tommy wants he usually gets. So Brown has that much going for him.
But a small transaction the Bucs pulled off in recent days seems to be a full-blown measure to lure Brown back.
Last week, Joe had brought word that assistant wide receivers coach Antwaan Randel El left to take the wide receivers coach opening in Detroit. The Bucs hired Thaddeus Lewis to replace him. Lewis was already on staff.
Well, hot-dog-eating-contest-protesting, mock-draft-scowling, L.L. Bean-wearing, Second Amendment abolitionist, Mike-Florio-arguing, parrot-insensitive, chewing-with-his-mouth-open, soup-gulping, California-train-romancing, anti-football proliferation, outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal-picture-taking, video-game-playing, Taylor-Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie-LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, craft-beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training, Budweiser-tolerant, baseball scorecard-keeping, pasta-feasting, vomit-dodging scrooge, Kay-Adams-following, Coors Light-souring social activist and NFL insider Peter King of NBC Sports notes in his “Football Morning in America” column that there is a hidden agenda and a method to Arians’ madness.
Brown wants to return to Tampa Bay. Tom Brady wants Brown to return to Tampa Bay. Bruce Arians wants Brown to return to Tampa Bay, and he did something last week to help move that along. In 2020, a coaching staff assistant, Thaddeus Lewis, impressed the Bucs so that when the Lions hired Antwaan Randle-El from the Bucs as receivers coach, Arians [announced] Lewis would take Randel-El’s spot as assistant receivers coach. There’s a hidden benefit to that: Lewis was a childhood friend of Brown’s in Miami. So to have Lewis be one of his coaches in Tampa can’t hurt the Bucs’ cause to bring back Brown at the right price—assuming Brown doesn’t have legal entanglements from his past assault-charge behavior.
So, Arians wants Brown, Tommy wants Brown and the Bucs hired Brown’s childhood friend to coach him. You starting to get a hunch that Brown stays with the Bucs, too?
Also, King reported Brown only stayed with Brady living in Jeter’s mansion for about two weeks before he got his own pad.
February 15th, 2021 at 5:58 am
Brown has been a good addition, no doubt. Longterm questions still remain about his anger management issues that are not present with Godwin. Godwin
gets high marks for his work ethic and Hines Ward style of play.
February 15th, 2021 at 6:30 am
I can see Godwin gettting the franchise tag if the two sides can’t come to an agreement. NO way that kind of talent walks out the door. Having both Brown and Godwin makes Evans even more dangerous….who you gonna double?
February 15th, 2021 at 6:40 am
In a perfect world, we keep all of our players, but if we lose Chris Godwin, AB can take over for him.
February 15th, 2021 at 6:45 am
Brown isn’t going anywhere…. he will be the last guy they sign and he will get whatever money is left over. He wants to win, he would take league min.(he has already stated that) Godwin’s blocking is what sets him apart.
February 15th, 2021 at 7:12 am
[Joe’s pretty clear in the story he is referring to “assistant wide receivers coach.” There are several references. May want to re-read. — Joe]
February 15th, 2021 at 7:28 am
If a team offers him a stupid dumb amount of cash, he’s gone! Simple as that.
February 15th, 2021 at 7:29 am
According to Spotrac, Chris Godwin (turning 25 in a couple weeks) played for $2.33 mil last year, but has a Market Value of $17.1 mil as a FA. If we franchise tag him, we’d have to pay him $18.5 mil (well, that was the 2020 value for WRs at least). No question that Godwin is a #1 receiver on just about any NFL team.
Antonio Brown (32 turning 33 in July) played for $1.25 mil this past year (but only 8 games). According to Sportscasting website, he’s hardly hurting for money though, and has signed several very lucrative contracts (was at one time considered to be the NFL’s best receiver). He signed a mega-contract with the Steelers in 2017 that included $19 mil guaranteed, but was traded to the Raiders 2-yrs later. Heck he made $30 mil guaranteed from the Raiders in 2019 but was cut without ever playing a game, and $10 mil guaranteed from the Pats for playing just 1 game. His ‘antics’ have gotten him into a lot of hot water to say the least.
Anyone starting to see a trend there? He’s an exceptional football player, but not necessarily one the Bucs (or any team) would break the bank to keep. Gut feel is that he’ll be a Buc this season, but for a very reasonable contract.
February 15th, 2021 at 7:32 am
Lol!!
I stopped @Tommy Tequila
LOVE IT
February 15th, 2021 at 7:35 am
I am perfectly fine with AB over Godwin and the salary cap difference to spread around elsewhere.
February 15th, 2021 at 7:36 am
Antonio brown is the kind of knucklehead that makes almost 80 mil over his career in just salary (not endorsements/ commercials) but is currently worth only 20 mil now.
Not saying that is not a ton of scratch but he has some court cases coming up and a good attorney costs millions. Also, out of court settlements cost big bucks. These cases in general can cost millions.
So he needs some money too
Good thing he will have limited market cause of past and ongoing (cases) issues. So i think he stays for another year while brady here to up his stock even more …cause he will play as long as he can with all these expenses coming up
February 15th, 2021 at 7:41 am
EVERY player has a connection to another player or coach etc. An assistant wr coach is not going to be the reason AB decides to sign here. And the bucs hiring a wr coach is not about keeping AB when they have 6 other wrs that need to be coached up. They are hiring a coach who feel that can do the job for EVERY player and not hiring a coach for ONE player who may be here for one more year. That is just hillarious. I mean how ridiculous does that sound? Hey this just in, the bucs are going to resign shaq barret because their jerseys are made by nike because shaq has an endorsement deal with nike lol. Stop trying to write a story before it is written.
February 15th, 2021 at 8:19 am
If Brown was wise he would stay put with the Bucs. Not sure if it’s Tom Brady, Tony Robins, or whoever seems to be having very positive influence on him. For him to stay & take the reasonable salary would be the best thing for him as well as his career.
February 15th, 2021 at 8:19 am
I like AB as well. He was impressive in post season. Amazing talent. Really hope he stays.
February 15th, 2021 at 8:36 am
Brown will likely only fetch 1 yr deals wherever he goes and they’ll be loaded with incentives as well as the ability to cut bait on any given week. He knows this….his agent knows this….and the Bucs know this.
February 15th, 2021 at 8:48 am
AB will come on the cheap, Brady is bartending at the last chance saloon for AB in Tampa. As I stated about AB, we would get the church mouse version, and that is how he was. The defensive front 7 is a higher priority than C Godwin. Some team is going to flash the cash, so let him dash and grab.
February 15th, 2021 at 8:50 am
Solid article but I wish we could just get to the article without having to tolerate the same nicknames Joe gives players every single time. Its redundant and just annoying.
February 15th, 2021 at 9:12 am
I agree with Bird. As much as I think the Bucs are the right fit for AB I also think he is an old school “knucklehead” when it comes to managing his money.
He needs to get paid. There isn’t a lot of time left to recover his lost earnings. I think he bolts for the biggest paycheck.
.
February 15th, 2021 at 9:18 am
With Godwin gone, Tyler Johnson will now get his chance. Godwin was near invisible during the playoffs. The Redskins game would not have been so close, except for his drops. He’s a good player and seems like a good guy, but can be replaced.
February 15th, 2021 at 9:22 am
I’d be reminding Godwin that #2s going to other teams to become #1s don’t always fare well.
Alvin Harper
Peerless Price
February 15th, 2021 at 10:07 am
Uh, Godwin is better than 90% of the WR’s in the NFL, IMHO. Not only a great receiver, but a team player and willing blocker.
February 15th, 2021 at 10:11 am
Either Barret or Godwin are getting franchised, prolly Godwin
February 15th, 2021 at 10:23 am
AB was way behind, then a few steps behind, due to the layoff, etc… Wait until you see him in full stride. Word up in Foxboro was that theTB12/AB combo in practise was unbelievable; something to behold- perfection on both ends. Explosive. Looking forward to it.
February 15th, 2021 at 10:30 am
Bucs hired Brown’s childhood friend to coach him = Coincidence.
Money talks Joe.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:43 am
Keep in mind Evans, AB, and Godwin were rarely all healthy together, so having them all is not the luxury it might seem–Scotty and Johnson would still play.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:52 am
I agree all that name prefixes are really corny given this guy at 43 in a new system in a year with no off-season physical workouts just delivered a superbowl against a so called juggernaut kansas city chiefs team like excuse me if I basically do the impossible and want to go have a few shots afterwards at a celebration we keep forgetting nfl players are just like us but with money let me guess joe doesn’t drink celebrate or do anything like that right come on man and what happened to innocent till proven guilty we weren’t there with ab and those women we don’t know what happened all I’m saying it wouldn’t be the first time an athlete got accused wrongfully these guys along with that defensive unit just bought a title here all on the road I mean aaron rodgers drew brees and mahomes I mean yeah brees is at the end but they basically beat the bucs twice this year given all that If brady wants to take shots and toss the lombardi in celebration with no malicious intent go ahead shoot pass it to me
February 15th, 2021 at 12:03 pm
CG14 blocking ability alone puts him above AB81
February 15th, 2021 at 12:09 pm
AB could probably be signed for about 5mil + incentives. I know BA said Godwin wasn’t going anywhere but things could change quickly. Also I like Fournette a lot but here again it depends on the $$. White from NE would be a nice addition or maybe even Peterson. Who in the hell knows. Should be a very interesting off season. So many different ways the Bucs could go.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:20 pm
Godwin returns or not, I doubt AB going anywhere. Very unlikely he gets a huge long term contract from anyone, so might as well stay with the GOAT and getting TD in Super Bowl’s.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:25 pm
Joe in Michigan
90 percent. Agreed. Hands, YAC, blocking. He’s the real deal.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:48 pm
Agree with SB LV, sign Brown, let Godwin walk and spend the money resigning other free agents. Our wide receiving corps will still be very, very good without Godwin.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:54 pm
[Lay off the bourbon in the morning. There is not one thing defamatory in this article about Brown. Hint: For a public figure to be defamed you have to prove malice. Good luck with that. — Joe]
February 15th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
I’d like him back, but this is a big assumption:
“ So to have Lewis be one of his coaches in Tampa can’t hurt the Bucs’ cause to bring back Brown at the right price—assuming Brown doesn’t have legal entanglements from his past assault-charge behavior.”
February 15th, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Joe, you were correct but Peter king was not. Simply seeking clarification, jeez
[King was quite clear as well.
coaching staff assistant, Thaddeus Lewis, impressed the Bucs so that when the Lions hired Antwaan Randle-El from the Bucs as receivers coach, Arians [announced] Lewis would take Randel-El’s spot as assistant receivers coach. — Joe]
February 15th, 2021 at 1:51 pm
Losing Godwin would be STUPID. He catches throws that are near impossible for most receivers. He takes huge hits over the middle in heavy traffic and still hangs onto the ball. And he blocks way better than most receivers. He is the real deal in all respects and still young. Decent line backers and line men both offense and defense can be found via draft pics and free agents at reasonable cost. Same for pass catching running backs. I would pay Barret, Godwin and David enough to keep them on the team. AB and Fournette a fair offer or let them walk (but include strong bonus money based on performance). Some of these guys would accept delayed payment to stay with a Super Bowl contender. And free agents will too. Bucs are in a strong bargaining position for quality free agents. Bucs will be lucky to get more than one or two really top notch draft pics that could be starters if somebody good gets injured (which happens almost every season). So yah, pay the guys like Godwin, Barret and David enough base plus incentives to stay. Sign some free agents (dbs, defense and offense linemen, pass catching back) for reasonable money. Offer AB and Fournette average money for their position but lots of incentive money based on performance. Draft the best players available regardless of position on the draft depending on who might leave in free agency.
February 15th, 2021 at 3:20 pm
Brown will be back unless someone else offers a LOT of money. He and Brady are very close. He was even getting emotional when talking about Brady in the post-super bowl press conference.
Brady is going to pick his weapons. And that’s all there is to it. If Brady wants Brown, he’ll be here. Godwin will likely get an offer too big for us to match financially and will be gone. But there is still a lot of talent at that position here. And there won’t be a shortage of receivers in FA that want to play with Tom Brady.
Godwin leaving probably hurts us less than if one of the defense guys leaves.
February 15th, 2021 at 6:03 pm
A furniture throwing bicycle tossing SUPER BOWL CHAMP!!! Put some respect on my dawg name!
February 15th, 2021 at 9:02 pm
Mark my word’s, Bucs Franchise Barret again, sign David, Brady gets extension to make cap space. Bucs sign Suh, Gronk, Succop and Brown.
Godwin signs elsewhere.
February 16th, 2021 at 7:46 pm
Mark MY words….Godwin stays! a TB12 weapon isnt going to be let go! Barrett might just be the guy we have to let go…as much as I hate it…but he’s looking for a pay day, break the bank day….all good, im happy for him.
February 16th, 2021 at 11:04 pm
I’ll be really disappointed if we lose Godwin. AB got what he came here for and will move on. Personally, I would trade Evans and load up on young talent. Talented dude, great career, but his trade market would be huge. I’d keep Godwin, AB and others… Scotty, Tyler, add another cheaper FA that wants to play with Brady. Many available.
February 16th, 2021 at 11:07 pm
AB like Gronk, is only playing with TB12.
End of story.