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Antonio Brown might still be one of the most talented wide receivers alive, but he remains unemployed two weeks into the new NFL season.

Brown last played for the New England Patriots in 2019, but he was released after just one game with the team. Evidently, NFL teams believe the drama that would follow Brown to a locker room isn’t worth the production he would bring. Well, one NFL legend disagrees. The flamboyant Hall of Famer played with emotion similar to Brown’s, and he believes it’s time for a team to sign the WR.

Antonio Brown was considered the best WR in the NFL just three years ago

It seems like forever ago Brown was even playing football, let alone dominating the league. But it was just two years ago when Brown led the NFL in receiving touchdowns, and he was widely considered the best WR in the league in 2017.

Three seasons ago, Brown led the NFL with 1,533 receiving yards, and he scored nine touchdowns. His 109.5 receiving yards per game was the second-best mark of his entire career.

Before 2019, Brown recorded over 1,280 receiving yards in six straight seasons. He led the NFL in yards and receptions twice during that span. Brown was also one of the most durable players in the league, missing just three regular-season games over those six years.

Oh, how things have changed.

Brown has played just one NFL game since 2018

Brown was a Pro Bowler just two seasons ago, but his career took a turn for the worst after leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers. The WR signed with the Oakland Raiders after the 2018 season, but he was released before playing a single game.

The Patriots scooped Brown up a few weeks later, but he only played one game as Tom Brady’s teammate. Of course, he scored a touchdown in his lone appearance in the blue and gray, but he couldn’t stick around past then.

Brown has been unemployed since his brief stint with the Patriots, and it’s looking as if he might never find a job in the NFL again. At 32 years old, Brown undoubtedly has plenty left in the tank, but he needs one more chance to prove he can still compete on the highest level.

Deion Sanders says Brown is trustworthy enough to deserve a second chance

Whereas some people in the NFL circle have distanced themselves from Brown, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has always been by his side. Brown and Sanders are good friends, and Sanders believes a team will sign him at some point during the season.

Sanders appeared on ESPN’s First Take and said Brown deserves another chance.

Yes, you can trust him. You know why? Because he’s hungry. Because he hasn’t been on that stage — unless he was rapping — in quite some time, and he missed those wonderful, cool, loving hand claps of those adoring fans that named him and titled him ‘AB.’ Oh, yes, you can trust him right now. You know why? Because he hasn’t received an NFL check in quite some time. When you separate a man from his money, life gets tough.

Deion Sanders

Sanders seems to believe Brown is done with the drama and just wants to play the sport he loves. If so, he could be a crucial addition to a playoff team down the stretch of the 2020 season.

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Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.