The Pittsburgh Steelers have to face the reality that they will be playing next season without wide receiver Antonio Brown, but they aren't letting him go easily.
Kevin Colbert said he told Brown: "We will not be discounted you on the trade market and we certainly not releasing you. All the being said, we will take a positive approach and if someone has a sincere interest and want to make a move — either a significant pick …
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) February 20, 2019
Brown's desire to be traded appears to be closely tied to his dysfunctional relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
A team normally on the cusp of a solid chance of reaching another Super Bowl appearance now takes a major step back if they lose arguably their best player.
It would be tough to let Brown go for anything short of some serious potential talent. If the Steelers can acquire a first-round draft pick from a team in need of a wide receiver, this will likely be Pittsburgh's best case scenario.
Brown has remained at the top of the stat sheets for years on end with the Steelers and the void he's going to leave behind will be a significant one.
Brown has six straight seasons of 1,200 yards or more in addition to 100 or more catches in each of those seasons. The Steelers have seen wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster make leaps and bounds since entering the league. His production could take a hit since he will presumably draw extensive coverage from opposing defenses.
Without Brown and Le'Veon Bell, the offense that was once regarded as the best in the league appears to be on track to be a middle of the pack type of unit.
The Killer B's were once a fearsome trio, but now the Steelers will have a lot of work ahead of them in finding talent to fill the void the two players will leave behind.
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