The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of all teams, recently picked up Antonio Brown. This comes after the franchise was previously adamant about not bringing in Brown due to all of the baggage that comes along with him.
In fact, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports quotes a source saying “no (expletive) way does he get in this building” about Brown last year.
With quarterback Tom Brady now in town and pushing for Brown, the Buccaneers changed their tune. The six-time Super Bowl champion is still a believer in Brown and has been vocal about his intent to be reunited with his former Patriots teammate.
However, Brady has been pushing to reunite with Brown at multiple spots, and with him eligible for reinstatement to the NFL from his eight-game suspension, the quarterback was very vocal about his desire to play with Brown again in hopes of winning a Super Bowl. Brady played one game with Brown in New England last year before the player was released amid more reports of serious allegations against him from multiple women, leading to a social media outburst attacking Patriots owner Bob Kraft.
Despite being a newcomer to the team, Brady has already made his voice be heard by the team's front office. He was also the driving force behind the signing of former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski in the offseason.
Another contender in the Seattle Seahawks were the other team most closely courting Brown, with quarterback Russell Wilson voicing his interest for the team to sign the receiver. At the end of the day, the Central Michigan product chose Tampa Bay and was signed to a one-year deal just above the minimum, plus incentives.
With a fresh start with Brady on the Buccaneers, Brown will aim to make the most of his comeback tour and prove to naysayers that he can still compete at a high level while not being a distraction to his team. He is expected to make his long-awaited return on the gridiron in the team's Week 9 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
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