"You waited until Ben hung up the cleats?" - NFL fans react to Antonio Brown's Steelers admission
Free agent Antonio Brown is in the headlines once again, but this time it is not for bad reasons. The 33-year-old took to Twitter to express his desire to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers:
"Just wanna retire a Steeler."
Just wanna Retire A Steeler
Pittsburgh selected the receiver in the sixth round at 195th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. Brown made his name as one of the best wide receivers in the league before he left the franchise in 2019. He then played for the Los Angeles Raiders, New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being released after his infamous walkoff against the New York Jets.
Now wanting to return to the team that drafted him, Brown has made a public plea and it has not gone unnoticed by fans.
A user named Garrett said that Brown waited until Ben Roethlisberger retired before announcing he wanted to return and called it a respectable move:
@AB84 You waited until Ben hung up the cleats ? Respectable move AB
One user said that the receiver burned all his bridges with the franchise:
@AB84 Pittsburgh is the city of bridges and you burned them all
One fan said that a return to the Steelers was ruled out a long time ago for the star wide out:
@AB84 Sorry about your luck. I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed a long time ago. Maybe you shouldn't have thrown your future HOF QB under the bus.
A fan named Blake said that the 33-year-old should have handled his business better while he was with the team:
@AB84 @jordandelugo Maybe you should’ve handled your business better while you were there.
A fan named Tommy said that the 33-year-old is washed up as a footballer:
@AB84 Ur washed lmao
A user named Derrick said that there is no way a return will happen and that the receiver's account must have been hacked:
@AB84 Lmao a yo. Ain't no way. His account must be hacked.
A Steelers fan named Jessie said that she would like Brown to return to Pittsburgh:
@AB84 I wouldn’t mind this one bit
One fan asked the receiver what he would do if Kenny Pickett didn't throw him the ball, citing the 33-year-old's temper when not being targeted enough:
@AB84 What are you gonna do when Kenny Pickett doesn’t throw you the ball? Pull a Ricky Bobby again??
@AB84 i’m all for it. steeler legend
One fan said that the closest the receiver will get is to be a janitor for the franchise and then retire:
@AB84 @PandSsteelers You can get a job as a janitor for the Steelers and retire. That’s the closest chance you got.
Could Antonio Brown return to the Pittsburgh Steelers?
It is highly unlikely that the 33-year-old will get his wish to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, given how his time with the organization ended. Brown's latter years with the Steelers was mired with contraversial incidents, including one where he reportedly threw a football at Ben Roethlisberger. He was also unhappy that Juju Smith-Schuster was named team MVP in 2018. He was suspended from practice and grew unhappy with his role on the team.
He was later found guilty of reckless driving and was then traded to the Raiders.
The way in which he left would have left a sour taste in the mouth and it is not known if Mike Tomlin would want to put up with his off-field antics again.
We have seen what he can do when things go wrong and it is unlikely that any team will take a chance on the 33-year-old, let alone a team that he has already burned once.
To say he was a weapon for the Steelers for many years would be an understatement. He was one of the top threats in the NFL. Pittsburgh boasted one of the best offenses in the league, fuelled by the performances of the "three b's" of Ben Roethlisberger, LeVeon Bell and Antonio Brown.
The seven-time pro-bowler and four-time All-Pro has now made it known that he wishes to return to Pittsburgh. The ball is in their court and we will have to wait and see what happens next.