It’s kind of a crazy idea. What if the Baltimore Ravens were interested in Antonio Brown? What if it worked?
The Baltimore Ravens probably have thought about the pro and cons of bringing in Antonio Brown. The cons write themselves. This is a player who maneuvered his way out of a contract with the Oakland Raiders, had some troubling allegations get him cut from the New England Patriots and has made a habit of making negative headlines. That’s the elephant in the room, bundled together, in a run-on sentence that nobody really wants to unpack.
Brown is just a few years removed from being arguably the best wide receiver in football. Nobody is aware of it more than the Ravens. Brown was one of the best weapons the Pittsburgh Steelers ever had. That is saying something, as much as we don’t really want to say it in Baltimore.
Brown’s game winning touchdown ruined Baltimore’s Christmas in 2016. Brown had a skill set that made him almost unfair to cover. Guess, who needs a wide receiver? The answer to that question is always the Baltimore Ravens.
If Brown gets another chance, it’s more like a fourth chance than a second one. If that opportunity happens for Brown, he has to get it from the right organization. Remember, he had nine seasons with the Steelers before things went off the rails.
It may not be able to last forever yet Eric DeCosta doesn’t need nine years out of Brown. He just needs two or three good seasons to make this move worth it in when it’s all said and done. He needs to go to a winning team, with a strong head coach and a good culture.
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John Harbaugh was the 2019 NFL Coach of the Year. Lamar Jackson is coming off an MVP season that he built with hard work and a constant focus on getting better. That’s leadership right there. If the Ravens gave Brown a prove it deal it could pay off. All they need to do is to provide structure. New England could have given that to Brown, but the Patriots got scared away before we found out if it could have worked.
The only other team that can really take on that kind of a challenge, is the Ravens. Brown has reached lows that were painful to witness. The Ravens can give Brown focus, a chip on his shoulder to work his way back to being an NFL superstar.
We’re talking about a player who from 2013-2018 had over 100 receptions and 1,000 yards like it was a yearly appointment. The idea of having Antonio Brown and Marquise Brown on the same offense is intriguing. Playing with his cousin may be a good thing for the former Steelers star. A winning culture with a tie to family may do the trick. Brown could be an affordable solution to the need Baltimore has at the wide receiver position.
The free agent market isn’t wide receiver rich at the moment. There’s not much of a point in adding a player like Paul Richardson or Demaryius Thomas. Signing Brown doesn’t mean the Ravens shouldn’t draft a wide receiver. He wouldn’t be the long-term future at the position and players with this much baggage could always end up not working out.
The fact of the matter is that signing Brown should be a fairly low-risk endeavor and it could have massively high reward value. The Ravens have too many reasons not to make this move to bet on it happening. The reasons why Brown should appeal to the Ravens is that they unequivocally have the best shot at getting him back to a good place. Nothing would annoy Steelers fans more than to see Brown’s resurgence happen with the purple and black. That alone should earn the consideration of the Ravens Flock.