antonio brown

2010 season

On June 15, 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Brown to a three-year, $1.28 million contract with a signing bonus of $73,075.^[33]

He entered training camp competing with Emmanuel Sanders, Tyler Grisham, Stefan Logan, Isaiah Williams, and Brandon Logan to be the Steelers' backup wide receivers.^[34] Brown was named the Steelers' fifth wide receiver on their depth chart, behind veterans Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle El, and Arnaz Battle.^[35]

On September 19, 2010, Brown made his regular season debut against the Tennessee Titans and returned two kickoffs and a punt for 128 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown from a reverse on the first play of the game.^[36] On October 3, Brown made his first career catch for a six-yard gain during a 17–14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.^[37] During a Week 17 contest against the Cleveland Browns, Brown made a season-high four catches for 52 yards in a 41–9 victory.^[38] He finished his rookie season with 16 receptions for 167 yards in ten games.^[39]

The Steelers finished the 2010 season with a 12–4 record and finished first in the AFC North.^[40] On January 15, 2011, Brown appeared in his first postseason game and caught a 58-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to set up the game-winning touchdown. He finished his first playoff game with a season-high 75 yards on three receptions as the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, 31–24.^[41] The following week in the AFC Championship against the New York Jets, at the two-minute warning, Brown caught a 14-yard pass on 3rd & 6, sealing the 24–19 victory for the Steelers and advancing them to Super Bowl XLV.^[42] In his first Super Bowl, Brown handled four kickoff returns, four punt returns, and finished with one catch for a one-yard gain in the 31–25 loss to the Green Bay Packers.^[43][44]

2011 season

Brown entered training camp competing with Emmanuel Sanders, Arnaz Battle, Limas Sweed, and Jerricho Cotchery to be the Steelers' third wide receiver after the departure of Antwaan Randle El. He won the competition and was named the third wide receiver on the depth chart behind Hines Ward and Mike Wallace. Brown was also named the starting kick returner and punt returner.^[45]

Brown made his first appearance of the season in the Steelers' season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens and finished with two receptions for 14 yards and had three kickoff returns for 34 yards in a 35–7 loss.^[46] On October 30, Brown had a season-high nine receptions for 67 yards and caught his first career touchdown reception on a seven-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in a 25–17 victory over the New England Patriots.^[47] The next game, he caught five passes for 109 yards, marking his first career game with over 100 receiving yards, in a 23–20 loss to the Ravens.^[48] On November 13, he earned his first career start and made five receptions for 86 yards in a 24–17 defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals.^[49] On December 4, he returned a punt for a 60-yard touchdown and made two catches for 67 yards, as the Steelers routed the Bengals 35–7.^[50] The punt return for a touchdown was the first in his career and Brown was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.^[51] In a Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns, he made his second start of the season and ended the game with five catches for a season-high 151-yards and scored a season-long 79-yard touchdown in a 14–3 victory.^[52] He finished the season with 69 receptions for 1,108 yards and two touchdown receptions in 16 games and three starts.^[43]

The Steelers finished 12–4 and received a playoff berth. On January 8, 2012, Brown caught five passes for 70 yards and had one carry for 18 yards in a 29–23 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Wild Card Round.^[53]

Brown became the first player in NFL history to have more than 1,000 yards receiving and returning in the same year. For his efforts, Brown was selected as a punt returner for the 2012 Pro Bowl. In his first Pro Bowl, Brown caught two passes for 15 yards, helping the AFC defeat the NFC 59–41.^[43][54]

2012 season

On July 28, 2012, the Steelers signed Brown to a five-year, $42.5 million extension that included an $8.5 million signing bonus.^[55]

With the retirement of Hines Ward during the off season, Brown entered training camp competing with Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders to be the starting wide receivers. Brown and Wallace were subsequently named the starters at the position to begin the regular season.^[56] In December 2018, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark claimed that during a practice in 2012, Brown started shouting at defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and began yelling at players on the defense, saying, "Don't touch me. I'm the franchise."^[57] In the Steelers' season opener against the Denver Broncos, Brown finished the 31–19 loss with four receptions for 74 yards.^[58] On September 23, Brown had seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders.^[59]

On November 4, Brown was fined $10,000 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct when he ran backwards for the final 20 yards of a punt return touchdown the previous week.^[60] The following game, Brown suffered a high ankle sprain and left the game. The ankle injury prevented him from appearing in the next three games.^[61] In a Week 15 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, he made a season-high eight catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in a 27–24 loss.^[62] The following week, Brown caught five passes for a season-high 97 yards and scored a 60-yard touchdown in a 13–10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.^[63] He finished the 2012 season with 66 receptions for 787 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games and ten starts.^[64]

2013 season

Brown entered the 2013 regular season as one of the Steelers' starting wide receivers with Emmanuel Sanders.^[65]

Brown started the Steelers' season opener against the Tennessee Titans and had five receptions for 71 yards in a 16–9 loss.^[66] On September 22, Brown caught nine passes for a season-high and then career-high 196 yards and two touchdowns in a 40–23 loss to the Chicago Bears.^[67][68] The following game, he caught a season-high 12 passes for 88 yards in a 34–27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.^[43][69]

On December 22, Brown broke Yancey Thigpen's single-season team record of 1,398 receiving yards set in 1997.^[70] Brown also became the second Steeler to amass at least 100 receptions in a season, joining former teammate Hines Ward.^[71] On December 29, he, along with Pierre Garçon of the Washington Redskins, tied Jimmy Smith as the only players to record at least five receptions in every game of an NFL season. In addition, Brown became the only receiver in NFL history to record five receptions and at least 50 yards in every game of an NFL season.^[72] He finished the 2013 season with a total of 110 receptions for 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns.^[43] On December 27, 2013, Brown was selected for the Pro Bowl as a receiver and a punt returner.^[73] On January 3, 2014, Brown was named to the AP All-Pro team for the first time in his career.^[74] He was ranked 23rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.^[75][76]

2014 season

In the Steelers' season opener against the Cleveland Browns, while returning a punt, Brown attempted to hurdle Cleveland Browns punter Spencer Lanning and kicked him in the facemask, garnering significant media attention.^[77] He finished the 30–27 victory with five receptions for 116 yards and later apologized for the kick, claiming it was an accident.^[78] On September 11, 2014, Brown was fined $8,200 for kicking the punter.^[79] On October 20, 2014, against the Houston Texans, Brown threw his first career touchdown pass, a three-yard strike to wide receiver Lance Moore.^[80] The following game, Brown caught ten passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a 51–34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.^[81] During a Week 9 contest against the Baltimore Ravens, Brown made a season-high 11 catches for a season-high 144 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown reception in the 43–23 victory.^[43] In Week 17, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had seven receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown to go along with a 71-yard punt return touchdown.^[82] His successful performance earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.^[83] In 2014, Brown led the NFL in receptions (129), receiving yards (1,698), and was tied for second in touchdowns (13); all three were new team records.^[84] The Steelers made the playoffs and faced off against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.^[85] In the 30–17 loss, he had nine receptions for 117 yards.^[86] His successful season garnered him a third Pro Bowl selection.^[87] He was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.^[88][89]

2015 season

Brown started in the Steelers' season-opening 28–21 loss to the New England Patriots and caught nine passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.^[90] The following week, he had nine receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown, as the Steelers routed the San Francisco 49ers 43–18.^[91] This brought his career total to 5,587 yards, good for 200th on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list. He also moved past Steelers' legend Lynn Swann on the all-time list. In Week 3, Brown had 108 receiving yards on 11 catches in the 12–6 victory over the St. Louis Rams.^[92] Brown remained first on the receiving yards list through Week 4, although he had only five receptions for 42 yards in the 23–20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.^[93][94]

On November 8, 2015, Brown caught a career-high 17 passes from Roethlisberger for a career-high 284 yards in a 38–35 win over the Oakland Raiders.^[95] His 284 receiving yards broke Keenan McCardell's mark of 232 in 1996 for most receiving yards in a game without a receiving touchdown.^[96] On December 6, he hauled in eight passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a 45–10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.^[97] This game is particularly notable for a play in which Brown returned a punt for a touchdown and then proceeded to leap onto the goalpost. He was flagged on the play for excessive celebration. On December 9, Brown was fined $11,576 by the NFL for the incident.^[98] For his efforts against the Colts, he earned his third career AFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award.^[99] In a Week 15 matchup with the Denver Broncos, he caught 16 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns in a 34–27 victory.^[100] For his performance against the Broncos, he was named as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.^[101]

On January 3, 2016, Brown totaled 13 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns. He finished the regular season with a league-high 136 receptions for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns^[102] – the first two marks eclipsing his own team records of 129 catches and 1,698 yards. With the 136 receptions, he set two NFL records: most receptions in a two-year span with 265; and most receptions in a three-year span with 375. Also, with his 16 receptions against the Browns, Brown became the first receiver to post two 16+ catch games in a single season, and his four games of 175+ yards in a season also set a new NFL record.^[103][104]

The Steelers opened postseason play with a Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and late in the fourth quarter, Brown left the contest with a concussion after taking a hit from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The Steelers went on to win the game, 18–16.^[105] The injury kept Brown out of the Steelers' next game in the Divisional Round, where they lost 23–16 to the eventual Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos.^[106]

Brown was named to his third consecutive and fourth career Pro Bowl, his second first-team All-Pro, and was ranked as the top wide receiver and the fourth best player on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.^{[107][108][109]}

2016 season

Brown started the Steelers' season opener against the Washington Redskins and finished the 38–16 victory with eight receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns.^[110] After the game, the NFL fined him a combined $15,191 for wearing baby blue cleats, which violated the league's uniform policy, and for twerking after scoring his second touchdown.^[111][112] After performing a similar dance in the end zone in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown was fined $24,309.^[113] The second fine was largely criticized by sportswriters, who considered it much too steep a penalty for a celebration.^{[113][114][115]} The league reasoned that the dances were "sexually suggestive".^[116]

In Week 3, Brown moved into the NFL top 100 all-time for career receptions,^[117] and in Week 9, he joined the top 100 for career receiving yards. In Week 10, Brown caught a season-high 14 passes for a season-high 154 yards and a touchdown in a 35–30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.^[118] In Week 12, he finished with five receptions for 91 yards and a season-high and career-high three touchdown receptions, as the Steelers routed the Indianapolis Colts 28–7 on Thanksgiving.^[119] He finished the regular season with a total of 106 receptions (second to Larry Fitzgerald) for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games and 15 starts.^[120] The Steelers decided to sit him for the season finale against the Cleveland Browns as they had already clinched a playoff berth.^[43] With the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, Brown ranked second in career receptions and third in career receiving yards for the Steelers, and 57th and 78th all-time among NFL players in those categories.

In the 2016 season, Brown posted his fourth consecutive and fifth career 1,000+ yard season in receiving yards, earning him his fourth consecutive and fifth career Pro Bowl selection on December 20, 2016.^[121] He was also named First Team All-Pro for the third consecutive time.^[122] He was also ranked fourth by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.^[123]

On January 8, 2017, Brown caught five passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a 30–12 home victory over the Miami Dolphins in their AFC Wild Card Round game.^[124] His two touchdowns of 50 and 62 yards were the first time since 2001 that a player had caught two 50+ yard touchdowns in a single post-season game,^[125] the first time ever in the first quarter,^[126] and the first time a Steeler had two receiving touchdowns in a Wild Card game.^[127] In the Divisional Round, Brown caught six passes for 108 yards in an 18–16 win over the Chiefs, becoming the third Steeler with four or more 100-yard receiving playoff games.^[128] After the game, Brown broadcast the team's locker room celebration on Facebook Live in violation of NFL rules and despite the requests of teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Ramon Foster to "keep a low profile on social media". The broadcast included head coach Mike Tomlin speaking crudely about championship round opponent New England, for which Tomlin later apologized and disciplined Brown.^[129] Brown had been paid $244,000 by Facebook before the season to "create content" for live channels.^[130] In the AFC Championship against the Patriots, Brown had seven receptions for 77 yards as the Steelers lost 36–17.^[131] For his accomplishments in the 2017 season, he was ranked fourth on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.^[132][133]

2017 season

On February 27, 2017, Brown signed a new five-year contract with the Steelers through the 2021 season. The contract is a four-year extension worth $68 million ($19 million guaranteed at signing) with a $17 million annual price tag, making Brown the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.^[134][135]

During Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, Brown posted a performance with 182 receiving yards on 11 receptions as the Steelers won a close game by a score of 21–18.^[136] Brown's 182 receiving yards led all NFL receivers for the season opening week.^[137] In addition, Brown converted all 11 of his targets, which marked a career-high in terms of receptions with a 100% completion rate.^[138] During a week 4 win over the Ravens, Brown became angry over not being thrown the ball by Roethlisberger on an incomplete play, and was filmed throwing a Gatorade cooler and yelling at coaches.^[139] During Thursday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans in Week 11, Brown made a one-handed catch adjacent to his helmet in the endzone for a touchdown. Overall, he made 10 receptions for 144 receiving yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers won 40–17,^[140][141] joining John Stallworth as the only Steelers player with two career games with 3+ receiving touchdowns.^[142] For his performance in Week 11, Brown was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.^[143] During Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers in Week 12, Brown recorded 169 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, including two sideline receptions for 37 yards in the final 17 seconds to set up the game-winning field goal.^[144] He became the fifth player since the 1970 merger with four 150+ yard receiving games in the first 12 weeks of a season.^[145] Plagued with a minor toe injury,^[146] During Sunday Night Football against the Ravens in Week 14, Brown finished with a season-high 213 receiving yards, helping the Steelers win 39–38 and clinch a playoff berth for the AFC North pennant.^[147] His 213-yard performance marked the second time in his career with at least 200 receiving yards in a single game.^[148] During Week 15 against the New England Patriots, Brown left the game with a left calf injury, and was taken to the hospital. Shortly after the Steelers' 27–24 loss to the AFC East-clinching Patriots, it was revealed that Brown's left calf was partially torn, meaning that he would not play for the rest of the regular season, but would at least return during the playoffs.^[149] He returned in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, recording seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers went on to lose 45–42 to the Jaguars.^[150]

Brown finished the 2017 season leading the league with 1,533 receiving yards for the second time in his career. He also finished fifth in the league with 101 receptions and tied for fourth in the league with nine touchdown receptions.^[151] He was named to his sixth Pro Bowl, and was named first-team All-Pro as a unanimous selection.^[152][153] He was ranked the second best player, as well as the best wide receiver, on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.^[154]

2018 season

On September 9, 2018, in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns, Brown reached 10,000 career receiving yards in the 21–21 tie. He achieved the milestone in 116 career games, and only one NFL player (Calvin Johnson in 115 games) had reached the mark in fewer career games.^[155] In the game, Brown had nine catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.^[156] In Week 5 against the Atlanta Falcons, Brown had six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the 41–17 victory.^[157] In Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown had five catches for 105 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter.^[158] Brown was also a victim of a dirty hit from Vontaze Burfict in the game.^[159] In Week 11, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had five receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown in the narrow 20–16 victory.^[160] In Week 13, on NBC Sunday Night Football, he had 10 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown in the 33–30 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on NBC Sunday Night Football.^[161] During Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints, Brown finished with 185 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers lost 28–31.^[162] Overall, Brown finished the 2018 season with 104 receptions for 1,297 and a career-high 15 touchdowns.^[163]

After allegedly getting into an argument with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, then skipping practices leading up to the week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown was benched for that game.^[164] Following the season, reports surfaced indicating Brown's dissatisfaction with his role on the Steelers, and he eventually requested a trade.^[165]