After wide receiver Antonio Brown apologized to the New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft and to the organization, rumors immediately swirled about the possibility that the team will bring back the talented wideout to help its playoff push. It was even mentioned that Brady was pushing the Patriots to sign Brown when the 42-year-old quarterback liked his apology on social media. Earlier, Brady told Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald that he’s not encouraging the Patriots to bring back Brown despite their offensive struggles. The veteran quarterback added that he only liked Brown’s post because they have a good rapport during the wide receiver’s short stay in New England.
According to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports, Patriots fans shouldn’t expect as the team has no interest in signing the 39-year-old Brown despite his apology to Kraft.
Sources laughed at the idea of Brown returning
Curran said his reliable sources laughed at the idea of Brown rejoining the Patriots this season to give their offense a boost. A source replied “what’s changed?” when asked if there’s a chance that the Patriots will bring back Brown, who was cut 11 days after signing a one-year deal worth $15 million due to charges of sexual assault and worse. Brown’s apology to Kraft also hasn’t changed the equation, Curran noted, adding that the Patriots are wary that something else could crop up down the road.
The Patriots were not aware at the time they signed Brown that he was about to face a lawsuit by his former trainer. Two days after he was cut, Brown unleashed a series of tweets, one directed at Kraft for his involvement in a spa scandal early in the year, but he deleted them immediately. In another tweetstorm, Brown expressed his interest to return to the Patriots, calling on the team to allow him to earn his money on the field.
Other teams could sign Brown
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, as of now, the Patriots are not interested in a reunion with Brown. However, Florio said there’s one thing that could change the Patriots’ mind and encourage them to bring back Brown. Florio said if the NFL declares that Brown, after a thorough investigation of the charges against him, will not be punished for the violation of the league’s personal conduct policy, things could immediately change for the Patriots.
“And then the Patriots could bring him back in theory if they were willing to let bygones be bygones over the dumb things that he said on social media about Robert Kraft,” said Florio. In addition, Florio said the Patriots might also be forced to sign Brown to keep him away from other Super Bowl contenders, like the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks or the Baltimore Ravens.
