As we sit here on Friday, one week after Antonio Brown refused to return phone calls from Mike Tomlin after leaving the team facility and failing to report for a scheduled MRI on his knee, the question that must be asked is: What happens now?
There are obviously a number of ways this could go. The first would involve Brown showing some kind of contrition for going AWOL on his teammates. Since that's not likely to happen without a lot of coaxing from Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, the next step will be if the Steelers and Brown can come to some kind of way to move past this latest incident.
One former agent suggested the Steelers could go after Brown for failing to live up to the terms of his contract.
#Steelers are screwed w/ #AntonioBrown because they paid him a ton of money upfront? Hold on Tonto. That SB represents his promise to abide by all terms of the CBA & his contract. By his actions AB breached it. The risk-not here-is getting it back if a guy is done. Good AM!
— Ralph Cindrich (@RalphCindrich) January 2, 2019
Cindrich, a retired super agent, has a point. By walking out at the end of last week and then not returning calls from Tomlin, Brown failed to live up to the terms of his contract.
Because of that, the Steelers could choose to withhold his pay for last week, but because the reworked his contract in the offseason to gain additional cap space, that would amount to just under $54,000. Such a move wouldn't amount to much money for Brown but could antagonize him further. And he could claim he showed up on Sunday morning ready to play and it was Tomlin's decision not to play him.
But that also could be the first step toward the Steelers voiding his contract completely and seeking repayment of the remaining portion of his $19 million signing bonus -- approximately $11.4 million. But that would likely cause a fight with the NFLPA and could also make Brown an immediate free agent.
On the positive side, the Steelers might get some kind of relief on his remaining cap hit. On the negative, they would get no compensation for a player who just last year was voted the second-best player in the league, regardless of position. And he would be free to sign anywhere he likes.
So assuming the Steelers want to get some kind of compensation for Brown and don't want to see him sign with a rival team, their next course of action would be a trade.
That's where it would get costly, assuming the team wants compensation that will help it in 2019.
For that to happen, the Steelers would have to bite the bullet on Brown's cap hit for 2019, which would be $22.1 million. And assuming they do so before he is due a $2.5 million roster bonus, he would cost them no money out-of-pocket for 2019.
That also would save them approximately $1 million in cap space in 2019.
Assuming that's their choice -- largely because quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be 37 in 2019 -- who could be viable trade partners?
There aren't many teams that couldn't use Brown on their roster, the Steelers chief among them. But once the other teams in the AFC North and some other teams where the Steelers just aren't likely to deal him -- the Patriots, Texans, Chiefs, Chargers and Colts -- are eliminated, there are just a few that make sense.
Of teams with the cap space to take on Brown's $12.6 million base salary, obvious need and draft capital to make such a move happen, Oakland tops the list.
The Raiders have three first-round selections, their own at 4 and those of Dallas and Chicago, and the third pick of the second round.
The Raiders aren't likely to trade the fourth-overall pick, but one of their two later first round selections -- acquired in deals for Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper -- could interest the Steelers.
The Jets also have plenty of cap space and a need for Brown, but aren't likely to give the Steelers their first-round pick, No. 3 overall, in a deal unless the Steelers also include their first-round selection, which is 20th. The same goes for the Cardinals and 49ers, who have the first and second-overall picks, respectively, this year.
One team to keep an eye on might be Buffalo. The Bills are in dire need of offensive help for young quarterback Josh Allen and have the ninth pick in the draft. They also have plenty of cap space to make such a deal happen.
A pair of darkhorse picks would be Green Bay and Tennessee.
The Packers have two first-round picks -- their own (12) and one acquired from New Orleans -- and could want to pair Brown with Davante Adams to give Aaron Rodgers another weapon. Rodgers is just one year younger than Ben Roethlisberger.
The Titans spent the fifth-overall pick in the draft in 2017 for receiver Corey Davis, who hasn't quite blossomed into a No. 1 receiver. The Titans have the 19th pick in the first round this year, one spot ahead of the Steelers.
Some other teams that have been mentioned that could use Brown -- Miami, Jacksonville, Washington -- just don't have the available cap space to acquire him, though they could certainly free up the additional space if necessary.
A pre-draft trade, however, could preclude the Steelers from trading for an established veteran player such as Arizona's Patrick Peterson. Not only would the Steelers still be on the hook for Brown's remaining cap hit, they also would have to fit Peterson's $11 million base salary under their cap.
It's more likely the team would want a player still on his rookie deal -- and thus not making big money -- in order to make a player-for-player trade more palatable. But it's questionable if the Steelers could find a trade partner willing to give up a good young player for a soon-to-be 31-year-old receiver, even one as talented as Brown.
A player-for-player trade could be more financially palatable after June 1, but that would mean the Steelers have to carry Brown's cap value of $22 million through that date. They would, however, have to pay him a $2.5-million roster bonus March 17 that could be a bitter pill to swallow. But it would lower his cap hit to just over $9.5 million in 2019 and $14 million in 2020 before he is taken off the books completely.
