The meeting between Antonio Brown and Pittsburgh Steelers owner
Art Rooney II finally went down.
The wide receiver tweeted on Tuesday that the sides met and
"...both agreed that it is time to move on..."
The Steelers have
yet to weigh in on the nature of the discussion between Brown and Rooney.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers agreed
to work on the potential trade but Brown and his agent Drew Rosenhaus do not
have permission to speak with other teams, per a source informed of the
situation.
Rapoport reported last week that the sides would meet in Florida to discuss the well-documented
offseason drama with the Pro Bowl receiver.
The saga began at the end of the year when Brown was held
out of the season finale after skipping workouts and team meetings.
Since the season ended, Brown has made it his mission to
force his way out of Pittsburgh, utilizing a vast array of social media tools
at his disposal. Over the weekend, Brown took digs at both Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger and Coach Mike Tomlin during a Twitter Q&A. On Monday, he went on Instagram to
request teams with the ability to give him a new deal with guaranteed money to "call me."
Tuesday's meeting marks an important stage in the process,
as it appears Pittsburgh will relent to Brown's desire.
If the Steelers indeed
part ways with the wideout, it would leave a massive $21.12 million cap hit in
dead money. Brown is due a $2.5 million roster bonus on March 17, meaning if a trade was
to go down, Pittsburgh likely needs to make a move before that date.
If Pittsburgh is truly ready to move on from Brown,
telegraphing the departure could hurt any compensation package they might
receive in return for one of the best receivers in the NFL.
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