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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
YearPlayerGTgtRecYdsAvgTDRec/G
2019Michael Thomas16185149172511.699.31
2015Antonio Brown16193136183413.5108.50
2015Julio Jones16203136187113.888.50
2015Keenan Allen8896772510.848.38
2020Davante Adams14149115137412.0188.21
2020Stefon Diggs16166127153512.187.94
2018Michael Thomas16147125140511.297.81
2018Davante Adams15169111138612.5137.40
2017Antonio Brown14163101153315.297.21
2020DeAndre Hopkins16160115140712.267.19
2018DeAndre Hopkins16163115157213.7117.19
2020Keenan Allen141471009929.987.14
2016Antonio Brown15154106128412.1127.07
2018Julio Jones16170113167714.887.06
2018Adam Thielen16153113137312.297.06
2017Jarvis Landry161611129878.897.00
2018JuJu Smith-Schuster16166111142612.976.94
2015DeAndre Hopkins16192111152113.7116.94
2019DeAndre Hopkins15150104116511.276.93
2018Antonio Brown15168104129712.5156.93
2019Davante Adams121278399712.056.92
2015Jarvis Landry16166110115710.546.88
2017Larry Fitzgerald16161109115610.666.81
2015Brandon Marshall16173109150213.8146.81
2015Larry Fitzgerald16145109121511.296.81
2018Stefon Diggs15149102102110.096.80
2015Julian Edelman9886169211.376.78
2016Larry Fitzgerald1615010710239.666.69
2019Julio Jones1515799139414.166.60
2016A.J. Green101006696414.646.60
2015Demaryius Thomas16177105130412.466.56
2019Keenan Allen16149104119911.566.50
2017Michael Thomas16149104124512.056.50
2016Stefon Diggs131128490310.836.46
2018Odell Beckham1212477105213.766.42
2017DeAndre Hopkins1517496137814.4136.40
2015Odell Beckham1515896145015.1136.40
2020Allen Robinson16151102125012.366.38
2017Keenan Allen16159102139313.766.38
2016Odell Beckham16169101136713.5106.31
2020Tyler Lockett16132100105410.5106.25
2019Julian Edelman16153100111711.266.25
2018Julian Edelman121087485011.566.17
2019Chris Godwin1412186133315.596.14
2020Cooper Kupp151249297410.636.13
2016Michael Thomas1512192113712.496.13
2019Allen Robinson1615498114711.776.13
2016Julian Edelman1615998110611.336.13
2020JuJu Smith-Schuster16128978318.696.06
2018Keenan Allen1613697119612.366.06
2016Jordy Nelson1615297125713.0146.06
2020Calvin Ridley1514390137415.396.00
2019Robert Woods1513990113412.626.00
2016Mike Evans1617396132113.8126.00

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

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