Reports of the Seahawks making a move for Antonio Brown haven’t gone away since last September, after Brown was released from the Patriots. At that point, Pete Carroll admitted to reporters that the team checked out Brown and did their due diligence.
Since then, the idea of Seattle being the team tasked with bringing Brown back to the league has only gained momentum. Russell Wilson spent time working with the wide receiver and several reports suggested the Seahawks had internal talks about adding Brown. The first reporter to mention Seattle as a possibility was NFL Network’s Mike Silver in June.
Other reports followed, as did a suspension for Brown, an eight-game ban for a violation of personal conduct policy, relating to a no-contest plea to an assault and a charge of sexual misconduct. The suspension could be extended, depending on the outcome of a civil lawsuit against Brown for sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Brown’s murky timeline has always made signing with the Seahawks unlikely, especially with Josh Gordon’s (likely) reinstatement looming. Carroll again made it clear that Seattle was open to a meeting with Gordon, telling reporters on Monday that the team were “very open” to re-signing the wide receiver upon reinstatement.
With the Seahawks’ training camp underway, it looks like they’ve locked onto Gordon as a receiver to add, if any. Speaking on 710 ESPN Seattle on Thursday, Mike Silver was asked about the Seahawks’ interest in Brown:
Mike Silver on @ 710ESPNSeattle, if he thinks there is a chance #Seahawks Antonio Brown would sign:
“A few months ago, a month ago, I thought they were well enough to get there – and now I don’t think they are.”
– Jessamyn McIntyre (@JessamynMcIntyr) Aug 6, 2020
As Silver said, just a month ago it seemed like Seattle was more or less locked on Brown. Now, unable to count on him for at least the first half of the season, it looks like they’ve moved on. At least for now.
