Written by Jeff Hartman at Behind The Steeler Curtain.com
Just when you thought the news of Le’Veon Bell’s impending 4-game suspension was enough to keep Pittsburgh Steelers fans busy, news broke Wednesday morning from ESPN’s Adam Schefter of wide receiver Antonio Brown wanting a new contract before the 2016 season begins.
As we all know, the Steelers rarely negotiate contracts with anyone who doesn’t take snaps under center without there being just one year on their current contract. Antonio Brown currently has two years left on his contract, but to say he is grossly underpaid might just be the understatement of the offseason.
Per Schefter, “Despite being one of the best bargains in the league, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown will report to training camp Thursday, hopeful and confident that his contract will be addressed before the start of the regular season, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.”
In 2015, rumors swirled across the internet when Brown missed the first day of Organized Team Activities, suggesting he was unhappy about his contract. As it turns out, he was there for the birth of his child, and reported to the next workout. However, Brown also knows his market value and has been watching receivers, who haven’t had half the production of him, hit huge pay days.
In fact, Brown isn’t even in the Top 10 of wide receivers, in terms of total monetary value of their current contracts.
He is 18th. Yes, the best receiver in the game is 18th on the list of total value, per OvertheCap.com.
As stated earlier, Brown is currently under contract for two more years, and I am all about a player working through his current deal, but there comes a point when you have to realize who the bread winner is on the team. Other than Ben Roethlisberger, who received his pay day, it is Antonio Brown. It clearly isn’t Martavis Bryant or Le’Veon Bell, so if you are going to reward someone, it would be Brown.
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