Aaron Rodgers is off to the Steel City — and one legendary wideout wants to come out of retirement and join him.
Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, informed the Pittsburgh Steelers he’ll be flying in on Friday to sign a one-year deal before minicamp kicks off next week, sparking claims of a ‘conspiracy’ from some fans.
The team later announced they’ve agreed to terms with the quarterback on a contract, pending a physical, which concludes a months-long wait to find out his future.
Rodgers departed the New York Jets after a disappointing 2024 season, and was said to be weighing up retirement, or a return to the league with the Steelers.
He has now chosen the latter, and will be working with weapons including DK Metcalf, who arrived in Pittsburgh less than three months ago, and highly-rated tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Beyond those two names, the receiving corps is relatively thin following the trade of the talented but troubled George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, with Calvin Austin III, free-agent addition Robert Woods and 2024 third-rounder Roman Wilson likely battling for the No. 2 role.
But they could be boosted by a shock name in Antonio Brown.
On Thursday afternoon, X aggregator MLFootball posted a report that claimed the seven-time Pro Bowl WR told them that Rodgers had asked him in February if he would be interested in playing for Pittsburgh again.
“Brown, 36, a future Hall of Famer, is still in elite football shape and works out daily,” the post added.
The suggestion seems barely believable, as Brown has not been seen on an NFL field since Week 17 of the 2021 season.
During the third quarter of a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jets, the receiver took off his jersey, shoulder pads, glove, and shirt, and ran off the field into the locker room.
Soon after, Brown released a statement claiming that then-Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and the team had engaged in a ‘cover up’ and that he was being forced to play on an injured ankle that required surgery.
He was released by Tampa Bay in January 2022, and officially retired from professional football in March of the following year.
But following Rodgers’ arrival in Pittsburgh, Brown has fueled return rumours, and re-posting the report of his return on his own X timeline.
“Please bro, please do it!” said one fan.
“This would be awesome,” wrote another.
“THAT would be the plus the Steelers are looking for this offseason,” a third posted.
The veteran quarterback, however, has not publicly expressed his desire to play alongside Brown in Pittsburgh, and the former Steeler has a reputation for relentlessly trolling his followers on social media, as well as attacking other high-profile figures.
Given Pittsburgh’s receiver room is somewhat in flux, it is not out of the question to suggest another free agent could arrive this spring.
But the idea that it could be Brown appears nothing more than wild speculation at this point.
The former receiver, who spent nine seasons with the Steelers, won Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers in 2021.
He also had a short spell with the New England Patriots in 2019, where he played just one game.
Despite a rocky end to his NFL career, Brown led the league in receptions in back-to-back seasons with the Steelers in 2014 and 2015, and he was also a two-time receiving yards leader in Pittsburgh.
A decade on from those league-leading numbers, and the former wideout has teased a shock return.
He even suggested last November that he would play for free given the opportunity in Pittsburgh — but when Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked for his response to that, he simply turned around and walked away from the podium.
Given all that has unfolded around Brown in recent years, and Tomlin’s far from amused reaction to the idea he could make a return, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see him wearing black and gold next season.
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