Although teams are set to enter the final stretch of the 2019 NFL season, wide receiver Antonio Brown is still holding out hope for a potential return.

Brown's status with the NFL still remains up in the air after meeting with the league last week. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, he is hoping to get cleared within the near future:

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Brown remains hopeful that a decision will come “very soon.” There’s a sense of optimism from Brown’s perspective that he will be cleared to return to the NFL before the 2019 regular season ends.

Brown has not been shy about taking to social media to voice his frustration with the NFL. He has now backtracked on his negative comments once again following a recent apology to New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft. As a result, the saga surrounding his potential return to the league appears to be ongoing.

Even if Brown is signed, he could be placed on the commissioner's exempt list until he is clear of all his off-field issues. Even then, it remains to be seen whether or not there are still teams out there willing to take on the kind of attention that comes with bringing him in.

There is still plenty of speculation regarding New England's potential interest in bringing Brown back. It is safe to assume that his apology was an attempt to get back into Kraft's good graces and there is no question that their offense is in desperate need of a boost. It will be interesting to see just how soon a decision is reached by the NFL.