Around the NFL

February 16, 2021

Antonio Brown

Will veteran be back in Tampa Bay?

The Bucs are Super Bowl champs, and up next will be keeping the team together. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that free agent wideout Chris Godwin will return. The Bucs say they want him back, and I'm seeing it written that Godwin will of course want to return for another year playing with Tom Brady. But we'll see.

Money tends to talk in these situations, and Godwin was just fine before Brady showed up. If it becomes clear that Godwin will be priced out of their market, the Bucs could instead look to retain Antonio Brown. He had a credible bounce-back half season with them, and just maybe he's the kind of talent that can keep things going for another couple of seasons.

Brown has had his share of off-field issues, mostly self-inflicted, but he generally avoided controversy during the Bucs' run to a Super Bowl title. He turns 33 this offseason, but has he lost much? He was their most productive wideout in the upset win over Kansas City.

Over the last six seasons, Brown was a full-time player in just four of them. But they were four of the very best wide receiver seasons in the league. He averaged about 7-8 catches per game in all of them. There have been 54 wide receiver season in those years where a pass catcher played at least half the time and caught 6-plus passes. Players with at least four such seasons: Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, Julian Edelman and Michael Thomas.

WRS 6-PLUS RECEPTIONS/GAME, 2015-PRESENT
Year	Player	G	Tgt	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec/G
2019	Michael Thomas	16	185	149	1725	11.6	9	9.31
2015	Antonio Brown	16	193	136	1834	13.5	10	8.50
2015	Julio Jones	16	203	136	1871	13.8	8	8.50
2015	Keenan Allen	8	89	67	725	10.8	4	8.38
2020	Davante Adams	14	149	115	1374	12.0	18	8.21
2020	Stefon Diggs	16	166	127	1535	12.1	8	7.94
2018	Michael Thomas	16	147	125	1405	11.2	9	7.81
2018	Davante Adams	15	169	111	1386	12.5	13	7.40
2017	Antonio Brown	14	163	101	1533	15.2	9	7.21
2020	DeAndre Hopkins	16	160	115	1407	12.2	6	7.19
2018	DeAndre Hopkins	16	163	115	1572	13.7	11	7.19
2020	Keenan Allen	14	147	100	992	9.9	8	7.14
2016	Antonio Brown	15	154	106	1284	12.1	12	7.07
2018	Julio Jones	16	170	113	1677	14.8	8	7.06
2018	Adam Thielen	16	153	113	1373	12.2	9	7.06
2017	Jarvis Landry	16	161	112	987	8.8	9	7.00
2018	JuJu Smith-Schuster	16	166	111	1426	12.9	7	6.94
2015	DeAndre Hopkins	16	192	111	1521	13.7	11	6.94
2019	DeAndre Hopkins	15	150	104	1165	11.2	7	6.93
2018	Antonio Brown	15	168	104	1297	12.5	15	6.93
2019	Davante Adams	12	127	83	997	12.0	5	6.92
2015	Jarvis Landry	16	166	110	1157	10.5	4	6.88
2017	Larry Fitzgerald	16	161	109	1156	10.6	6	6.81
2015	Brandon Marshall	16	173	109	1502	13.8	14	6.81
2015	Larry Fitzgerald	16	145	109	1215	11.2	9	6.81
2018	Stefon Diggs	15	149	102	1021	10.0	9	6.80
2015	Julian Edelman	9	88	61	692	11.3	7	6.78
2016	Larry Fitzgerald	16	150	107	1023	9.6	6	6.69
2019	Julio Jones	15	157	99	1394	14.1	6	6.60
2016	A.J. Green	10	100	66	964	14.6	4	6.60
2015	Demaryius Thomas	16	177	105	1304	12.4	6	6.56
2019	Keenan Allen	16	149	104	1199	11.5	6	6.50
2017	Michael Thomas	16	149	104	1245	12.0	5	6.50
2016	Stefon Diggs	13	112	84	903	10.8	3	6.46
2018	Odell Beckham	12	124	77	1052	13.7	6	6.42
2017	DeAndre Hopkins	15	174	96	1378	14.4	13	6.40
2015	Odell Beckham	15	158	96	1450	15.1	13	6.40
2020	Allen Robinson	16	151	102	1250	12.3	6	6.38
2017	Keenan Allen	16	159	102	1393	13.7	6	6.38
2016	Odell Beckham	16	169	101	1367	13.5	10	6.31
2020	Tyler Lockett	16	132	100	1054	10.5	10	6.25
2019	Julian Edelman	16	153	100	1117	11.2	6	6.25
2018	Julian Edelman	12	108	74	850	11.5	6	6.17
2019	Chris Godwin	14	121	86	1333	15.5	9	6.14
2020	Cooper Kupp	15	124	92	974	10.6	3	6.13
2016	Michael Thomas	15	121	92	1137	12.4	9	6.13
2019	Allen Robinson	16	154	98	1147	11.7	7	6.13
2016	Julian Edelman	16	159	98	1106	11.3	3	6.13
2020	JuJu Smith-Schuster	16	128	97	831	8.6	9	6.06
2018	Keenan Allen	16	136	97	1196	12.3	6	6.06
2016	Jordy Nelson	16	152	97	1257	13.0	14	6.06
2020	Calvin Ridley	15	143	90	1374	15.3	9	6.00
2019	Robert Woods	15	139	90	1134	12.6	2	6.00
2016	Mike Evans	16	173	96	1321	13.8	12	6.00

Brown signed for cheap to rehabilitate his value with the Bucs; he won't likely do so again. But the Bucs won't be able to pay everyone, and if Godwin (who also made this list, a year ago) departs, Brown might be the guy they bring back to attempt to defend their title. Don't rule out another Brady-Brown season together.

--Andy Richardson

Antonio Brown

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