"He ain't no different than Dennis Rodman" - NFL analyst believes Antonio Brown will find a new home soon
Ever since Antonio Brown walked off the field in Week 16, everyone has asked what the future holds for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver. Some believe he's run out of opportunities in the NFL.
But others believe Brown's talent will earn him another shot.
Someone who falls into the latter belief is ESPN analyst Marcus Spears. Spears spoke on First Take on Tuesday and believes Antonio Brown will get a chance due to his talent outweighing his drama.
“I think you’re always interested in the talent. This is the National Football League." Spears said. "And if a guy can help you win games, you’re going to take a look at it and kick the tires. But this’s even deeper. He has a relationship with Lamar. His cousin is Hollywood Brown. So there's some people that surround the organization that can vouch for whatever character that's left. Goodwill that's left. You got a couple people around and will vouch for that."
Spears linked Antonio Brown to the Baltimore Ravens because of Brown's appearance on the I AM ATHLETE podcast on Monday. Brown spoke about how he would love to have the 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson as his quarterback.
AB went on I AM ATHLETE and said he's ready to play with Lamar Jackson 👀👀👀https://t.co/AaxoHrEcl1
Spears continued his point by comparing the four-time first-team All-Pro to former NBA star Dennis Rodman. Rodman was infamous for his off-the-court storylines that followed him everywhere he went.
Rodman played on five different teams throughout his 14 seasons. Brown has already played on four teams.
Spears believes no matter what Brown does, the chance to bring in talent is too tempting for an NFL team.
"He ain’t no different than Dennis Rodman." Spears said, "Did Dennis Rodman continue to get contracts in place for people to try to help them win championships when we thought Dennis Rodman was so bizarre and wild out there in the world? He went on to help try to help the Lakers, he tried to help the Spurs, he was in Detroit. Chicago where we won championships. So at the end of the day, he's a talent. And when you have talent, people overlook many things. And if he's true, with Lamar Jackon and Hollywood Brown and they can hold him accountable for some of his actions. I don't see why not because this is the NFL. Somebody goes alright, I don’t give a damn how many times he walked off the field with his shirt off. Somebody’s going to sign him because there's always two or three sides to a story”
Antonio Brown has a history of off-the-field controversies
There's no questioning that Antonio Brown is one of the most talented wide receivers in NFL history. But his off-the-field controversies have mounted annually over the last handful of years.
Brown has played with the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Buccaneers since leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers. But everywhere he's gone, drama has followed him.
Antonio Brown is one of the greatest WR talents the NFL has ever had. But some of the stuff in his career is freaking insane:
*Burned his feet in a cryotherapy chamber.
*Helmet controversy with Raiders.
*Used a fake vaccine card
*Takes off uniform midgame and just leaves.
Rodman was controversial in his day as a player. But he was a good teammate whom his teammates knew would give 100% effort come game-time.
Antonio Brown complained about not getting enough targets a week after being targeted 12 times and walked out on the Buccaneers.
Time will tell whether Brown receives another shot in the NFL or not. But the comparison with Rodman in terms of his off-the-field distractions by Spears is not too far off the mark.