Steelers Rumors: Antonio Brown To The 49ers? Jerry Rice Discusses Possible Trade

It has become abundantly clear that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown might want to play somewhere else next season. According to the greatest NFL receiver of all time, Brown might want to go across the country and play in the Bay Area.

In a radio interview with 95.7 The Game on Monday, former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice spoke about a FaceTime conversation he had with Brown over the weekend. Brown posted a screenshot of the conversation on Instagram, prompting speculation about the star receiver’s status.

Rice complimented Brown, calling him a “complete team player.” He said Brown wants to come to the 49ers “really bad.”

“I don’t know what happened in Pittsburgh but I know that this guy, if he comes here to San Francisco, he’s going to do everything possible to help this team to win,” Rice told 95.7 The Game.

This move would make sense on a number of levels for the 49ers. They are projected to have somewhere between $57 and $66 million in cap room next year, giving them room to sign a big name player or two. They are in desperate need for wide receiver talent, as their leading wideout in 2018 was Kendrick Bourne, who only had 487 receiving yards on the year.

Brown, running back Matt Breida and breakout tight end George Kittle could form a nice trio of weapons for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

San Francisco also has draft picks to spare, and recent reports indicated the Steelers might not ask for that much for Brown, anyway. NFL insider Ian Rapoport said the starting price for the 30-year-old receiver will be a second-round pick. The Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts are also considered possible suitors for Brown, based purely on projected salary cap room.