Pete Carroll confirms Seahawks’ continued interest in Antonio Brown. How real is it?
The Seahawks remain interested in Antonio Brown.
With still two weeks—at least—remaining on his NFL suspension, coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday the Seahawks remained interested in the possibility of signing the former All-Pro wide receiver whom two teams cut within weeks early in the 2019 season.
“We have endeavored to be in on everything that is going on,” Carroll said, “and this is no exception.”
The coach characterized the interest as the Seahawks and general manager John Schneider continuing to do their due diligence in exploring every option to better the team.
“We have endeavored to be in on everything that’s going on,” Carroll said. “And John has done a marvelous job of always been tuned in to what’s happening. And in this, this is no exception, you know.
“So, we’ll see what happens, you know, as we go forward. But we’re tuned in to what’s happening there.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday “sources” told him Brown and Seattle remain in mutual interest, along with other teams.
“With Antonio Brown’s suspension eligible to end after week 8, the Seattle Seahawks are now positioned to make a push to sign him, though they’re not alone, league sources tell ESPN. Other teams also are interested,” Schefter reported Wednesday, more than carrying Brown’s water for him.
Carroll laughed when asked how much of that report is an agent doing his job to spike interest.
Asked if the Seahawks have to dig deeply into Brown’s past that have gotten him suspended and given up on by the Steelers, Raiders and Patriots in the last year and a half, Carroll said: “We’re nowhere there right now.
“So let’s wait and see what happens. ...But, you know, we do all of the homework that we can think of doing. We will never think that we can leave a stone unturned. That’s how we approach everything.
“And so that’s what we’ll continue to do that here.”
Carroll understands why fans get excited hearing Brown linked to the Seahawks.
“This is what happens,” the coach said. “There’s this is a high profile football player, and it’s history and all that. Everybody’s curious about it. It makes sense.”
The coach said Seattle’s interest in Brown is not related to the ongoing wait for the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to decide whether to reinstate wide receiver Josh Gordon from league suspension. The Seahawks signed Gordon in September.
“Those are not connected situations are not connected. They’re handled independently,” Carroll said.
Carroll said the team wasn’t sure when it signed back Gordon last month, after he played for them for six weeks last season, how soon he’d be reinstated by the league.
“We weren’t sure. We just had to just kind of wait it out, and, you know, wait for the information to come two or three weeks,” Carroll said. “We didn’t have a timeline.”
Carroll said the Seahawks are still simply awaiting Goodell’s decision, with no indication when it may come.
“The decisions are made by the league. And we really don’t know and don’t have contact to speak of here,” Carroll said. “So you know, we don’t know any more than then really you do at this point.
“We’re just waiting it out for work from the league, unfortunately.”
The Seahawks have remained linked to Brown since he and Russell Wilson worked out together this summer, and made a very public deal about it.
Carroll said in early September his Seahawks inquired about possibly signing Brown upon the Raiders releasing him. The veteran coach is proud to say he doesn’t mind “getting close to the edge” in seeking players. Such is his supreme confidence in his leadership and his ability to fit anyone into his program, including Josh Gordon, Marshawn Lynch, Percy Harvin...
Or Antonio Brown.
Wilson often hosts receivers for offseason workouts in California. Seahawks teammate DK Metcalf has been one this spring into summer.
Wilson has been wanting Seattle to sign Brown, per what long-time NFL reporter John Clayton wrote for KIRO-AM radio’s website in late May, citing league sources.
Brown, 32, is also close with Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith. On May 27, Brown posted a video of him training with Smith. It was seven days after Seattle re-signed Smith for 2020.
Brown has been selected for seven Pro Bowls in his nine seasons. Eight were with Pittsburgh. Then came his lost, one-game season last year with Oakland then New England, before he acted himself out of the league in 2019. He has seven seasons with at least 1,100 yards receiving, six with at least 101 catches and four years with at least 10 touchdowns.
“We are involved in everything. We’ve been telling you that for a long time,” Carroll said in September 2019, two days after Brown acted his way out of Oakland.
“We seriously mean we are tying to know what’s going on with every opportunity out there. If we miss one of those, we mess up.”
Brown messed up with his Raiders last summer. He got frostbite on his feet for not wearing required protection while in a cryotherapy machine. He complained about the NFL not allowing him to wear the older, non-approved style of helmet he preferred. He got fines for missing practices, among other things.
The Raiders released him before he played a game for them.
Immediately after that, but before the Seahawks could get anywhere with Brown, the wide receiver agreed to sign a free-agent contract with the New England Patriots. It was reportedly worth up to $15 million in 2020 with a $9 million signing bonus.
Eleven days and one game after Brown signed with New England, the Patriots cut him. The move came as the NFL was investigating Brown for multiple accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior, including rape.
On Sept. 22, 2019, Brown posted on Twitter “won’t be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime...”
He hasn’t played since.
In late December he had a tryout with the New Orleans Saints that did not amount to anything.
In January, Brown was arrested and charged with assaulting a delivery driver outside his home in Florida. He was briefly under house arrest. According to Broward County court records in Florida, the case ended with him getting two years probation until June 12, 2022. He was sentenced to a 13-week anger-management program, among other conditions.
The NFL has been investigating Brown for alleged sexual misconduct against two women. The league’s investigation found Brown sent threatening, aggressive text messages to one of the women.
He reiterated this past summer he was retiring.
And now he wants to be back. At least that’s what he wants the entire league to know.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 1:49 PM.
