Antonio Brown backtracks on decision of which team he'll retire with

Mike Moraitis

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Antonio Brown backtracks on decision of which team he'll retire with image

Back in April, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown announced through his media company that he was going to retire as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, which at the time was a very clear troll job on his part.

After all, Brown never played a single game for the Raiders. After being traded to the then-Oakland Raiders in 2019, Brown ran into several issues with the team, which ultimately led to his release nearly six months after the trade.

Brown went on to play for the New England Patriots (one season) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (two seasons) before his career ended in the most Antonio Brown way possible with his infamous shirtless exit in the middle of a game against the New York Jets.

While he did end up winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs and not the Steelers, there is zero question that Brown's best years came in Pittsburgh, where he was truly a generational talent. That word gets thrown around a lot in this day and age, but Brown actually fit the description in his prime.

Not that he needed to, but Brown clarified on Wednesday that he wants to retire as a Steeler and that his Raiders post was just a joke. He also called himself, Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell the "Greatest trio of all time."

Brown racked up a whopping seven Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pros over his nine years with the Steelers.

He also led the league in receiving yards twice in that span and broke 1,400 yards four times, including two campaigns north of 1,600 yards. His best season came in 2015, when he had a career-best 1,834 yards. Amazingly enough, that wasn't tops in the league that season (Julio Jones, 1,871).

Brown no doubt has a Hall of Fame resume, but it remains to be seen if his antics on and off the field will hurt his cause. We'll know in a few years when he is first eligible in 2027.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.