In the past two days, it’s become clear that the San Francisco 49ers aren’t chomping at the bit to acquire Antonio Brown in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn’t believe the 49ers had been in contact with Pittsburgh about making such a move. Then, one day later, general manager John Lynch made it crystal clear: The 49ers have not been in contact with the Steelers about trading for Antonio Brown.
Furthermore, Steve Wyche of NFL Network reports “that as of now the Niners won’t be in play for Brown.”
None of this means that the 49ers couldn’t make a move. But it does significantly dispel some of the rumors that have been flying around in the media that Brown and San Francisco go together like peas and carrots.
Part of the reason such a narrative had taken shape is that 49ers legend Jerry Rice has been fully behind such a move. And Brown himself has thrown plenty of gasoline on the fire.
Yet, as talented as Brown is, and as much as it makes sense from a football perspective to bring him to San Francisco, one thing stands out as a glaring red flag: Brown has been recently involved in a domestic dispute with his daughter’s mother.
Given San Francisco’s recent history with players who have had similar issues crop up, it wouldn’t be shocking whatsoever if the team decided to abstain from pursuing Brown at all.