Tweet
[url]http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25196389/antonio-brown-on-reported-holdout-moneys-not-important-to-me[/url]
Antonio Brown on reported holdout: 'Money's not important to me'
By Ryan Wilson | CBSSports.com
May 26, 2015 7:52 pm ET
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."
It's an interesting response -- especially the part about "wanting to keep a good reputation" -- which hints that public opinion may have played a role in his decision to return to work.
And the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette adds this: "...[T]hose who say [Brown] never planned [the holdout] or that it was not an issue are wrong. It was an issue right up until the time Antonio Brown decided not to make it one."
For now, Brown plans to be a full participant this offseason -- and beyond.
“I'll be there at training camp so you guys get ready to see me,” he said Tuesday. “I'll be wearing my same new haircut. I'll be smiling. I'll be ready to go.”
Brown inked a six-year, $41.9 million contract in 2012, after just two NFL seasons and three starts. He's certainly outplayed that deal over the last two years when he caught 239 passes for 3,197 yards and 21 touchdowns -- Brown 2015 salary of $9.8 million ranks 13th among all wide receivers, according to overthecap.com-- but in the NFL where contracts aren't guaranteed, teams almost always have the leverage.
And that's the case in Pittsburgh where the Steelers almost never open negotiations until there's one year remaining on a player's contract.
Antonio Brown on reported holdout: 'Money's not important to me'
By Ryan Wilson | CBSSports.com
May 26, 2015 7:52 pm ET
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."
It's an interesting response -- especially the part about "wanting to keep a good reputation" -- which hints that public opinion may have played a role in his decision to return to work.
And the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette adds this: "...[T]hose who say [Brown] never planned [the holdout] or that it was not an issue are wrong. It was an issue right up until the time Antonio Brown decided not to make it one."
For now, Brown plans to be a full participant this offseason -- and beyond.
“I'll be there at training camp so you guys get ready to see me,” he said Tuesday. “I'll be wearing my same new haircut. I'll be smiling. I'll be ready to go.”
Brown inked a six-year, $41.9 million contract in 2012, after just two NFL seasons and three starts. He's certainly outplayed that deal over the last two years when he caught 239 passes for 3,197 yards and 21 touchdowns -- Brown 2015 salary of $9.8 million ranks 13th among all wide receivers, according to overthecap.com-- but in the NFL where contracts aren't guaranteed, teams almost always have the leverage.
And that's the case in Pittsburgh where the Steelers almost never open negotiations until there's one year remaining on a player's contract.
Comment