The Buffalo Bills will not be acquiring Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown via a trade, general manager Brandon Beane has said.
A report on Thursday claimed the Bills were "closing in on a deal" for seven-time Pro Bowler Brown, who has made no secret of his desire to be traded by the Steelers this offseason.
The 30-year-old wide receiver, who hauled in 15 touchdown receptions last year, dismissed that story as "fake news" in a reply to an Instagram post on the NFL's account.
Beane has now revealed that though the Bills discussed a trade for Brown with the Steelers this week, the team had "moved on" from a potential deal.
"We enquired about Antonio Brown on Tuesday and kept talks open with the Steelers," Beane said in a statement on the franchise's website.
"We had positive discussions, but ultimately it didn't make sense for either side.
"As great a player as Antonio Brown is, we have moved on and our focus is on free agency."
Had a great meeting with Mr.Rooney today we discussed a lot of things and we cleared the air on several issues! We both agreed that it is time to move on but I’ll always have appreciation and gratitude towards the Rooney family and @steelers organization! #CallGod #Boomin pic.twitter.com/DEgURchvhW
— Antonio Brown (@AB84) February 19, 2019