The NFL draft begins in a little more than 24 hours from now but that does not mean the news is going to be quiet. There has been a former superstar who has officially announced his retirement from the National Football League. Wide receiver Antonio Brown has posted on his CTESPN Twitter account that he is officially retiring as a Las Vegas Raider.
Antonio Brown has not played since running off the field in the regular season finale against the New York Jets in the 2021 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he had an incredible career coming out of Central Michigan as the 246th pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Below are some of Antonio Brown’s accomplishments while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Super Bowl Champion
- 7x Pro Bowler
- 4x All-Pro
- HOF All-2010s Team
- 928 Receptions
- 83 TD Receptions
While this seemingly appears to be a joke as he never signed a 1-day contract and never played a snap after demanding a trade to the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2019 season, you never know with Mr. Big Chest himself. It is pretty clear that the Raiders have no intention of doing this and he has not played a down of football since 2021 where he left the field shirtless waving to the fans at MetLife Stadium mid-game.
Is Antonio Brown actually retired?
While Antonio Brown is busy joking around on social media, people are wondering if the wide receiver is officially retired or not. While he still looks like he is in shape to play, it will not be in the National Football League. With the chaos he has brought over his last few years in the league, it appears no team has the appetite to sign him to a deal of any kind.
Brown has burned bridges with all four organizations he has been part of as well. His production fell off to a point teams could not justify dealing with his antics. Whether AB wants to say it was his decision or not, he is retired from the National Football League.