A market for Antonio Brown appears to be taking shape.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Pittsburgh Steelers have garnered enough interest in the receiver to be able to trade him before March 17, per sources informed of the situation.
Brown is due a $2.5 million roster bonus on March 17, setting a theoretical soft deadline for a potential trade.
Rapoport notes that the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, and Arizona Cardinals are among the teams that have appeared most intrigued by the possibility of trading for Brown.
The Raiders own a glaring need at receiver and enough draft capital to make a trade. Raiders coach Jon Gruden loves adding veterans and likely wouldn’t fear adding a potentially combustible locker-room presence to the mix.
The Broncos are an interesting option as John Elway attempts to rework his roster on the fly and get back to the playoffs. Reuniting Emmanuel Sanders with Brown would be intriguing, especially after the two had a brief social media spat this offseason. A trio of Brown, Sanders (when healthy) and Courtland Sutton would provide a huge boost for a struggling Broncos offense.
The Cardinals certainly could use a player of Brown’s caliber alongside future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald and second-year receiver Christian Kirk. Adding Brown to Kliff Kingsbury’s offense would be a big boon for the coach’s first season.
Several other teams could get into the mix over the coming weeks, especially with a shallow free-agent receiver market. At this stage, it appears the Steelers at least have a market for Brown, and interest seems to be growing, as GM Kevin Colbert said last week.