The reigning champs are running it back with Antonio Brown. The seven-time Pro Bowler is headed back to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal worth up to $6.25 million with $3.1 million guaranteed, according to both Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Ian Rapoport, also of NFL Network, says the Bucs had always planned to bring Brown back, but were waiting for his legal issues to be resolved first. The 32-year-old had been accused of sexual assault by his former trainer Britney Taylor (a classmate of Brown’s at Central Michigan), but settled the lawsuit out of court last week.
AB returns to a loaded Tampa receiving corps featuring perennial Pro Bowlers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans as well as veteran tight end Rob Gronkowski. Brown, who joined the Bucs midseason after serving an eight-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, racked up 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns in eight regular-season games last year. The former sixth-round pick also shined in the playoffs, contributing three touchdowns throughout the Bucs’ postseason run including one in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl triumph over defending champ Kansas City. That gave Brown his first ring in two Super Bowl appearances following a loss to Green Bay in his rookie season.
One of the most decorated receivers of the past decade, Brown ranks third among active players in career receiving yards, trailing only long-time Cardinals fixture Larry Fitzgerald (currently a free agent) and Atlanta’s Julio Jones. A polarizing figure and frequent locker-room headache at previous stops in Pittsburgh and Oakland, Brown was on his best behavior last year, minding his P’s and Q’s with the Bucs despite a complex relationship with coach Bruce Arians, his former Steelers offensive coordinator. Brown isn’t the dominant force he was early in his career (he led the league in receiving touchdowns as recently as 2018), though his on-field chemistry with Tom Brady should serve the Buccaneers well in their pursuit of a second straight title. No team has won back-to-back Super Bowls since the Patriots (also led by Brady) in 2003-04.
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