Wednesday 20 February 2019 11:25, UK
Antonio Brown says the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed it is time for him to "move on" after he met with owner Art Rooney in Florida on Tuesday.
The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver's future in Pittsburgh has been in doubt since he controversially missed the Steelers' Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, amid reports of a fallout with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The 30-year-old took to social media last week to request a trade away from the team, and later accused Roethlisberger of having an "owner mentality" in a Q & A with fans.
Brown feels the Steelers are now willing to listen to trade offers after he sat down with Rooney to explain his stance.
Brown posted on Instagram: "Had a great meeting with Mr. Rooney today. We discussed a lot of things and we cleared the air on several issues!
"We both agreed that it is time to move on but I'll always have appreciation and gratitude towards the Rooney family and Steelers organization!"
If the Steelers do decide to trade Brown, they are likely to do so between March 13, when the new league year begins, and March 17, when he is due a $2.5m roster bonus.
However, the Steelers would still incur a $21.12M dead cap hit in 2019 by trading Brown.
If Brown is traded prior to March 17, the team acquiring him would be taking on the final three years of his existing contract, which are worth $38.9M ($15.125m in 2019, $11.3m in 2020, and $12.5m in 2021).
Brown has no guaranteed money left on his existing deal but he made it clear in an Instagram video on Tuesday he wants that deal to be reworked.
"If your squad out there want to win and your squad want a hungry wide receiver who's the best in the whole world, someone hit my phone," Brown said into his phone camera while working out on an elliptical. "Tell them I ain't doing no unguarantees.
"I think I done done everything. What y'all think? What's left for me to do?
"Win a Super Bowl? Hey, gotta be the right team for that, right? Who wants smoke? I've got a lot of fuel built up. When this fuel turns to smoke, hope you're in shape, hope you're ready to go the distance. I'm telling you, I'm ready to go 36 rounds, like a heavyweight, ya heard. ...
"If your team got guaranteed money, tell them call me. AB can't do no more unguarantees."
Brown, who turns 31 in July, has surpassed 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past six seasons. In 2018, he caught 104 passes for 1,297 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns.
Sky Sports coverage of the NFL will continue through the off-season as we track the player moves and the storylines in the build-up to the 100th year of the NFL - and we will have all three days of the NFL Draft covered in April.
