The 49ers are a favorite right now, but there are some other teams that make a lot of sense.
The NFL Combine is officially underway with prospects starting to arrive, and all 32 teams in town to continue the pre-draft assessment process. The scouting aspect of the combine is a big deal, but having all 32 teams in one place means trade discussions are going to happen. We’ve already seen some notable trades agreed to this offseason, but this is the week when Antonio Brown’s situation will either be resolved, or at least pushed forward to some degree.
There are reports the Pittsburgh Steelers have spoken with three teams about Brown. Whether that’s true or not, the San Francisco 49ers are expected to be a team interested in the talented receiver. The Steelers have agreed to work on trading him, although they have made it clear they will not deal him if they cannot get a sufficient return.
We don’t know which three teams allegedly phoned the Steelers, but we know there will be plenty of discussions about Brown in Indianapolis. The question is which teams will be most interested. Here are the top ten odds over at BetDSI for where Brown will be playing when Week 1 of the 2019 season arrives.
49ers: +250
Colts: +300
Bills: +400
Cardinals: +500
Steelers: +500
Jets: +700
Texans: +800
Cowboys: +1000
Broncos: +1000
Packers: +1200
NBC Sports reporter Peter King offered up his own take on potential landing spots for Brown. He mentioned the Carolina Panthers, Washington, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Oakland Raiders. The 49ers were listed under “other” with the Green Bay Packers. It’s interesting to compare his list with the odds listed above. The Colts, Bills, and Cardinals all have better odds than those other teams.
SB Nation ranked out all 31 teams for likelihood of trading for Brown. The top tier is “We’ve got plenty to offer and the space to extend Brown.” That list included the Colts, 49ers, Jets, Raiders, Bills, Cardinals, Broncos, Lions, and Texans.
The Steelers reportedly want to deal Brown to an NFC team for competitive reasons, but at the very least want to keep him away from New England and the three teams in the AFC North. The Colts and Jets both make a lot of sense. They need to add a playmaker, and both are at the top of the list of cap space for 2019. The Packers make sense if they want to push for a championship run before they lose the Aaron Rodgers window.
On January 10th, we ran a poll asking where Brown would be playing Week 1 of the 2019 regular season. Nine percent of voters selected the Steelers, 46 percent selected the 49ers, and 45 percent selected other. Seven weeks later, plenty has gone down, but we’re not near a resolution.
We’ve got a new poll, that’s a little more intricate. Offer up your choice! If you can’t see the poll, click here.
About the Author: Insidethe49
