The Washington Redskins have a need at the wide receiver position. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, they are one of the teams that has shown the most interest in Antonio Brown to this point.
One of the biggest storylines of the NFL offseason is going to be what happens to Antonio Brown. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ stud receiver is arguably the best at his position in the NFL. However, due to a number of run-ins with the Pittsburgh coaching staff and his teammates, the Steelers are going to have to part with him. Brown has demanded a trade and the Steelers are going to give in to that demand.
To this point, it hasn’t been clear exactly what teams were in on the Brown sweepstakes or what the compensation could be in a deal. However, the former part of that equation is starting to become clearer.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, three teams have shown a great deal of interest in Brown. And one of them is the Washington Redskins.
The three teams that have shown the most interest in wide receiver Antonio Brown to date are the Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans, per league sources. Thus, the battle for Brown could develop into a battle between Grudens, Jon and Jay.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2019
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While Brown is a very good player and would surely be an upgrade for the Redskins, he wouldn’t be worth the cost.
Though Brown has consistently been one of the better receivers in the NFL — he actually led the league in touchdown receptions last year with 15 in 15 games — Brown has caused problems in the locker room. He got into spats with the coaching staff and clashed with Ben Roethlisberger at times. In truth, he turned into a locker room problem at the end of his time in Pittsburgh, and that will hurt his value.
Coming to the Redskins wouldn’t do a lot to quell concerns about Brown’s attitude. It’s unknown how he would react to losing or if he would clash with whoever the Redskins’ quarterback is. He would easily be the best receiver on the roster, but the cost wouldn’t line up with the trajectory of this team.
Brown will be 31 before the start of the 2019 campaign and will carry a cap hit of at least $18 million in each of the next three seasons. While he’s a top-five NFL receiver right now, he could regress as he ages. Also, it’s hard to recommend spending that much money on a receiver when you don’t really know what you have at quarterback.
Also, it should be noted that in addition to paying Brown, the Redskins would have to give up draft capital or talented young players to get him. That would only further complicate matters for them, as they would worsen their salary cap situation and take away an opportunity to acquire young, cheap talent.
The Redskins would be better served to let the Raiders or the Titans get Brown. Both of those teams have paths to contention and could justify acquiring a receiver like Brown. The Titans, in particular, could be an interesting fit, as Brown is likely better than any other receiving weapon they could get with the 19th pick.
While Brown is a big name and would upgrade the Redskins’ receiving corps, the move simply wouldn’t be worth the cost. He doesn’t fit the team’s window, as Brown will be into his mid-30s by the time the ‘Skins can hope to build into a legitimate wild card team. Brown needs to go to a playoff-ready team in order to fulfill his potential. The Redskins are not that.