That Bruce Arians line about Antonio Brown “no longer” being a Tampa Bay Buccaneer? It has however to arrive to fruition, and there is a likelihood it won’t right until immediately after the season is completed.
Two sources acquainted with ongoing conversations between the NFL, the Buccaneers and the NFL Gamers Association explained there has been dialogue about Brown’s outright release vs . an wounded reserve designation. The distinction in between the two centers on Brown’s opportunity availability to other teams. If he ended up to be launched, he would be matter to getting claimed off waivers by one more team for the remainder of this period, or turning into a cost-free agent if he were to move by waivers.
On the other hand, if Brown were put on hurt reserve — most possible in reaction to his camp’s claim of an ankle issue — it would primarily set him aside for the remainder of the season and out of access of other teams. Tampa Bay could also look for to suspend Brown underneath the “Conduct Harmful to the Club” penalty.
If the Bucs do slash Brown fairly than positioning him on injured reserve, it appears unlikely (but not entirely extremely hard) that an additional staff will assert him on waivers. A number of large receiver-needy playoff groups strongly stated to Yahoo Sporting activities that they wouldn’t think about professing Brown soon after he stripped off his tools and shirt just before leaving the industry throughout the third quarter of Sunday’s video game between the Bucs and New York Jets.
The induce of that bizarre minute continues to be in some dispute, although it is obvious that Brown declined to enter the game when questioned by the coaching team. The purpose why now appears to be forming, with Brown’s camp stating that it was a outcome of pain in Brown’s ankle, which he had been rehabilitating since mid-Oct — including for the duration of a 3-sport suspension for misrepresenting his vaccination position to the franchise.
Though Brown returned in Week 16 to experience the Carolina Panthers and caught 10 passes, he did miss out on follow on Thursday and Friday — absences that ended up famous as relevant to his former ankle damage. Though he didn’t seem to be in agony all through the initially fifty percent towards the Jets, Brown’s camp has proposed his ankle was an issue coming out of halftime. On the other hand, Arians explained to reporters that Brown under no circumstances described an damage as the cause he wouldn’t enter the sport when requested in the third quarter.
The Tampa Bay Moments noted on Tuesday that Brown’s illustration experienced him go to with a surgeon outside the house of the team’s clinical ranks and also undertake an MRI this 7 days. The final results, in accordance to the Periods report, “confirm[ed] his major soreness.” The Buccaneers have not responded to that report, nor indicated when there will be a change in Brown’s status with the crew.
