The end of Antonio Brown\u2019s career begs more questions than it has answers. As eventful as his departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers was, it pales in comparison to the drama that followed Brown to the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, and eventually, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brown\u2019s final chapter happened in Tampa was a tale of conflicting highs and lows.<\/p>\n
A Super Bowl championship followed by a public crash out that ultimately ended his NFL career. One of his Buccaneers teammates gave perspective on the incident that led to Brown\u2019s release.<\/p>\n
Lavontae David played 14 seasons for the Buccaneers and announced his retirement last week. Appearing on the Bussin\u2019 With The Boys podcast,<\/a> he was asked about Brown\u2019s outburst on the Tampa Bay sideline during a 2021 game against the New York Jets. One where Brown threw his jersey into the stands and left the field. It was Brown\u2019s final actions on an NFL field.<\/p>\n According to David, the warning signs were there.<\/p>\n \u201cLeading up to that, you saw it stirring up. You saw it brewing,\u201d David said. \u201cOne day, we were in the locker room and he was complaining about the week prior because he didn\u2019t score a touchdown. I\u2019m like \u2018Bro, you had over 100 yards. What are you talking about?\u2019\u00a0 He\u2019s just pissed off and you can see, he might snap soon.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the Buccaneers\u2019 first game at MetLife Stadium since January 2, 2022, when they beat the Jets 28-24 and this happened in the middle of the 3rd quarter: pic.twitter.com\/qFF3CDv19J<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n David\u2019s memory is correct. The week prior, Brown totaled 10 receptions for 101 yards but no touchdowns in a 32-6 win over the Carolina Panthers. After that game, David said that he was asked to calm down Brown during a walkthrough because he was yelling at teammates and coaches and complaining that he wasn\u2019t getting the ball enough.<\/p>\n \u201cThat game [against the Jets], I wasn\u2019t surprised in a sense, but the way he did it during the game. I was like \u2018Dang AB why you doing that?\u201d To be honest with you, he kind of messed up our chances of going to a second Super Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n David added that he believes it was deeper than Brown simply not getting the ball enough. There was belief that Brown was unhappy with his salary and that tight end Rob Gronkowski was paid more.<\/p>\n Brown was released by the Tampa Bay shortly after the incident and released a statement<\/a> that claimed the Buccaneers tired to cover up an injury that led to his outburst. The Buccaneers made the playoffs but failed to defend their Super Bowl title, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round.<\/p>\n The 2021 Buccaneers team featured a pair of 1,000 yard receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. At tight end, Rob Gronkowski notched over 800 yards receiving. Brown gave the receiving core even more depth, but it\u2019s surprising to hear Lavonte David claim that his departure cost the team another shot at the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n The whole episode demonstrates the unfortunate turn that Brown\u2019s career took. Undoubtedly a Hall of Fame talent, Brown made it clear after the 2018 season that he no longer wanted to be in Pittsburgh. Skipping practices leading up to 2018 regular season finale, Pittsburgh benched Brown. In the offseason, he was shipped to the Raiders for a third and fifth round picks.<\/p>\n From Pittsburgh\u2019s perspective, the trade was a win in hindsight<\/a>. Trouble followed Brown at every stop after that point in his career. He never even played a game for the Raiders, released following a slew of controversies. He now faces legal trouble from an attempted murder charge in 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n Antonio Brown remains one of the biggest what-ifs in Steelers history. If he could have continued his torrid pace and remained content in Pittsburgh, he would surely be remembered as one of the best receivers in NFL history. Instead, his reputation is now murky and his legacy is overshadowed by controversy.<\/p>\n