Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown would reportedly like to see his current deal - a five-year, $41.96 million pact signed in 2012 - torn up and reissued, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Steelers brass don't seem to be interested though. According to a report from Rand Geltin of Yahoo Sports, Pittsburgh's decision-makers are "reluctant" to re-work Brown's deal.
Brown, 27, is a former sixth-round pick of the Steelers. Last year, he led the league in receiving, managing 129 receptions for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns. He added another 319 yards and one touchdown on 30 punt return attempts. It was the second year in a row that Brown paced the Steelers in receiving. In 2013, Brown collected 110 receptions, 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns.
Despite being just 5-foot-10, 186-pounds, Brown has proven to be quite durable during his thus far five-year NFL career. He missed just 3 regular season games in 2012 after his mostly red-shirt rookie year.
Brown has also proven potent in the postseason. Last year, in the Steelers playoff loss to the Ravens Brown caught nine balls for 117 yards.
While Martavis Bryant's expected development - and potential star status - and Le'Veon Bell's return to health and the field in Week 3 will likely eat into Brown's opportunities, it's fair to assume he'll continue to pace the Steelers in receiving and operate as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's No. 1 target.
While "reluctant" doesn't necessarily mean it won't happen, it sure seems to point a new contract for Brown not being a likelihood anytime in the near future. As Getlin notes, the team still has Brown under contract for three more seasons at cap hits of $9.7 million, $12 million and $10.7. While not cheap, those figures certainly represent a value after the new contracts signed by Brown's contemporaries like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and TY Hilton, this offseason.
