Disgraced former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown has made it painfully obvious that he’s literally begging to be signed back into the league just months after partaking in perhaps the most infamous three-month stretch in sport history.
Brown posted to his official Instagram on Thursday an old picture of himself and Tom Brady with the caption ‘Miss You Big Bro’. The picture is tagged in Boston, Massachusetts and appears to be at Brady’s house, which makes sense considering Brady once half-jokingly said AB could live at his guest house during the season.
The timeline for Brown the last few months is truly one of the most bizarre emotional rollercoasters imaginable.
September 20: Brown is released by the Patriots
September 22: Brown thanks Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick for the ‘opportunity’
September 23: Brown vows to never play in the NFL again and mocks Kraft’s massage parlor incident.
September 25: Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus says Brown isn’t retiring
September 26: Brown Tweets ‘The Game Needs Me’
October 11: Brown posts to Instagram asking for the Patriots to ‘Call Me’
November 7: Brown tweets ‘F**k the NFL’
November 19: Brown formally apologizes to Kraft on Instagram
December 5: Brown posts on IG ‘Miss You Big Bro’ to Tom Brady
With Brown’s infamous exodus coupled with Rob Gronkowski’s retirement and Josh Gordon’s release, the Patriots have one of the league’s least talented wide receiving corps.
After distinguished veteran Julian Edelman’s 124 targets, 82 receptions, and 915 yards, the next most productive wide receiver on the team is Phillip Dorsett, who only has 28 receptions on 48 targets, and 347 yards.
There were reports in the weeks after Brown's release from the Patriots that Brady was actually upset with Kraft's decision to cut the superstar wideout, and wanted the team to stick with Brown until the details into his sexual assault accusations played out.
Shackled to his worst season of the decade and perhaps the worst offensive personnel he's ever had, Brady was seen on the sidelines giving an impassioned pep talk to his anonymous group of wide receivers during New England’s Sunday Night Football game versus the Houston Texans.
Early in the second quarter after a Patriots punt, audio was picked up of Brady sitting on the bench and trying to rally the offense:
“HEY GUYS, WE GOTTA PICK THINGS UP. WE GOTTA BE FASTER, QUICKER, MORE EXPLOSIVE, EVERYTHING. WE’RE TOO F**KING ROBOTIC, ALRIGHT?? MAKE A QUICK POST. LET’S BE AGGRESSIVE OFF THE BALL. EVERY SUM’B*TCH. LET’S GO! GRIND THIS F*CKER OUT!”
Brown is 31 years old and had four catches for 56 yards in his one game played with the Patriots in Week 2, including a 20-yard touchdown reception from Brady against the Miami Dolphins.