Fans in New England hoping that Tom Brady and Antonio Brown will team up to bring another championship to the Patriots can simmer down a little.
On the very same day that Brown officially requested a trade from the Steelers, this report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora notes that Pittsburgh has no intention of trading him to any of the three other NFC North teams or the Patriots.
They want him but cant have him. Steelers wont deal him to NE, BAL, CLE or CIN. Kinda like how Belichick wouldnt deal Jimmy G to CLE
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 13, 2019
This makes all the sense in the world. There’s absolutely no reason for Pittsburgh to do its biggest rivals in the AFC any favors here. If the team does end up trading the embattled Brown, it will likely be to the NFC.
That’s one of the primary reasons the San Francisco 49ers are currently overwhelming favorites to land the game’s most-productive receiver.
As La Canfora notes, this situation could be similar to the one that sent Jimmy Garoppolo from New England to San Francisco back in October of 2017. Bill Belichick did not want to deal him to an AFC team — namely the Cleveland Browns.
In any event, this is an interesting backstory as the entire Antonio Brown drama plays out through the next several weeks.