The career of the enigmatic Antonio Brown seemed absolutely over, but like the Phoenix Bird, the receiver resurfaced from its ashes with a little help.
After essentially forcing his departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he reached the then Oakland Raiders, where before he even played an official game, he repeatedly complained about his helmet and publicly fought with general manager Mike. Mayock. The Raiders got tired and after some positive pressure from Tom Brady, the New England Patriots gave the receiver a new chance.
Then came the allegations of sexual harassment and the Patriots decided to cut him off. In fact, for that same episode, the NFL decided to suspend him for the first eight games of the season.
A train wreck was more subtle than the incredible list of problems Brown has had in recent years.
The fights with her former personal chef, the screams with the police in front of the public eye, the outbursts on social media and the foot burns caused by the excess of cryotherapy seem just ornaments in the midst of tumultuous years that they made us think at one point that Brown was not in good health.
We care about him and his NFL career seemed like a thing of the past. Not because he lacked talent, because he had too much, but because his “maturity” left much to be desired.
Few players have more influence than Brady, who now has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a second title win in club history.
When the quarterback raised his hand, the arrival of Rob Grownkowski came true and when he put his reputation back at stake for Brown, Tampa Bay made the unpopular decision to hire him and give him a new one. opportunity to the receiver.
“I believe in second chances,” said Bruce Arians, head coach of the Buccaneers.
Rather it’s the fourth or fifth in the NFL for Brown, who seems to have realized that the opportunity the Buccaneers gave him seemed to be his last.
Brady opened the doors to his house and Brown lived with the marshal for a few days.
The Buccaneers had one of the deepest receiver groups in the NFL, but they saw Brown as “a high-ceilinged insurance policy.”
At the time, both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans were battling injuries and having Brown in catwalks for the second half of the season generated relief in Tampa Bay, as long as he didn’t get into extra sporting trouble.
Being fair to Brown, who has been criticized on several occasions, this has not happened.
Brown has been a model citizen and understood that he only had one more chance, thanks to his powerful and influential friend. In response to that confidence, Brown, seven times selected in the Pro Bowl, led the Buccaneers in strides toward him in the final five weeks of the regular season with 45 receptions for 483 yards — four touchdowns in eight games.
Brown was barely able to participate in 27 games in the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints due to a knee injury that led him to lose the NFC Championship Game, but after much treatment, the signs are positive and he hopes he can play against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Buccaneers have been so impressed with Brown’s behavior, with whom they had reached a one-year deal, that they have already expressed interest in having him back next season.
As a result of their troubled history, future deals are likely to continue for a year and full of conduct clauses, but the mere fact that Brown has a chance to play a Super Bowl should come as a surprise.
Personally, he was convinced that his NFL career was over, but the Buccaneers reached out to him and he will now have a chance to win his first ring, something he was denied in his first campaign, when he arrived. in the Super Bowl with the Steelers.
“I know it’s my last chance. It’s my last and I plan to take advantage of it,” Brown said.