Will Antonio Brown ever play for the Buccaneers again? HC Bruce Arians provides vital update
Antonio Brown has been in hot water due to controversy over misrepresenting his vaccination status. The wide receiver was suspended by the NFL in response.
Some thought this would be the end for Antonio Brown in Tampa Bay as well. Bruce Arians was asked about Brown and safety Mike Edwards' futures in Tampa Bay.
Here's what he had to say.
Bruce Arians on Antonio Brown
According to Adam Schefter, Bruce Arians was clear in answering the question. Put simply, Antonio Brown will be back on the field and catching passes from Tom Brady this season.
“Yeah, it’s in the best interest of our football team. Both of those guys have served their time and we’ll welcome them back.”
The Buccaneers' head coach has that right. After injuries to Leonard Fournette, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans during a shut-out loss, the Buccaneers need a boost on offense as bad as any team in the league.
Also, with Brown sitting out the last few games, he could come back recharged and in great shape for a playoff run.
Also Read: NFL Fantasy Football: 3 replacements for WR Antonio Brown heading into playoffs
To repeat as Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need him to play up to those projections. With the loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Buccaneers have slipped to third place in the NFC playoff race.
Somehow, the stumbling Cowboys have found themselves in the second seed in the NFC with three games to play.
Bucs’ HC Bruce Arians on the decision to bring back WR Antonio Brown and S Mike Edwards after they misrepresented their vaccination status: “Yeah, it’s in the best interest of our football team. Both of those guys have served their time and we’ll welcome them back.”
As it stands, the Buccaneers are essentially tied with the Cowboys and Cardinals at 10-4 with the Rams at 9-4 and the Packers at 11-3 sandwiching the teams together.
The Rams can jump to 10-4 with a win over the Seahawks on "Tuesday Night Football." As such, it looks like everyone is chasing the Green Bay Packers and are hoping for a stumble from Rodgers down the stretch.
I kind of appreciate the honesty here, rather than the typical blathering about second (third? fourth?) chances. twitter.com/adamschefter/s…
The Packers play the Browns, Vikings and Lions to wrap up the year. The biggest challenge, it seems, could be the Vikings, who beat the Packers earlier this season.
Also, with the Lions demolishing the Cardinals over the weekend, they are no longer a complete write-off. For another team to pass the Packers, they need to stumble and lose or tie a game in the next three weeks.
If the Packers don't lose, they will have the number one seed locked down in the NFC.
But based on how tight the race is at the top, the Packers likely won't be sitting on any players in Week 18 as one of the many teams that could still be in range to take the lead could be pushing the Packers into the final game of the season.