Steelers won't cut Brown but 'hard to envision' he'll be with team by camp
Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said the team won't release Antonio Brown, but "all other options are on the table" for the star receiver's future, according to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Rooney added that it was "hard to envision" Brown still being with the team when training camp opens in July.
"There's not much we can do right now; we have time to make a decision," Rooney said Thursday. "We'll look at all the options. We're not going to release him, that's not on the table. But I will say all other options are on the table.
"Whether the situation can be reconciled and have him back on the team next year, we're a long way away from thinking that can happen. We're not closing the door on anything at this point."
The perennial All-Pro skipped practices and meetings ahead of Pittsburgh's crucial regular-season finale and was ultimately benched for the game. His absence reportedly followed a heated dispute with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Brown seemingly knew of the owner's comments; he posted a picture of himself and Rooney on Instagram along with the vague caption: "Good business #Boomin."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Antonio Brown (@ab) on Jan 10, 2019 at 2:06pm PST
The new league year begins March 13, and the Steelers will likely decide on Brown's future before his $2.5-million bonus is due on March 17.
If Brown is traded, the Steelers would save $1 million in cap space but would be stuck with a dead-money hit of just over $21.1 million. However, the team would save $15.1 million in cash.
"That has to be taken into consideration, but, as I sit here today, I'm not going to say that's going to box us into anything," Rooney said of the potential salary-cap consequences. "If we decide something has to be done, we'll figure out how to deal with that."
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