33rd Team has Antonio Brown as their No. 8 wide receiver of all time.
When it comes to the NFL, the debate of best of all time at any given position is just fuel for a heated argument. Aside from a consensus about who is at the top at any position, trying to sort out a Top 10 is an even more daunting task.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have several players who could be considered in the Top 10 of their respective positions. This includes wide receiver where Pittsburgh has three former stars in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But when Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team put out of his list of the 10 best receivers of all time, he included a different former Steeler.
Valentino put Antonio Brown at No. 8 all-time but did not include Hines Ward, John Stallworth or Lynn Swann anywhere on the list. Here’s what he had to say about Brown.
Antonio Brown’s achievements on the field make an easy case for his entry into the NFL Hall of Fame. Having clinched a Super Bowl title and earned first-team All-Pro honors four times, along with a spot on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Brown altered the perception of being a dominant wide receiver. Standing at just 5-foot-10 and weighing 185 pounds, Brown was virtually unstoppable at his peak.
The bulk of Brown’s impressive stats were accumulated from 2013 to 2018, though he had already made a Pro Bowl appearance in his sophomore year in 2011. During this six-year period, he consistently caught at least 101 passes each season, never dipping below 1,284 yards or eight touchdowns.
He topped the league in receptions and yards twice and in touchdowns once. His most prolific season in 2015 saw him reel in 136 catches for a staggering 1,834 yards.
He’s 25th in yards, 21st in receptions, 26th in touchdowns, and third in yards per game. But self-inflicted mistakes cut his career short, producing only 91 receptions for 1,084 yards and nine touchdowns after turning 31. His lack of longevity in his later years hurt his argument for landing higher, but his peak is impossible to erase.
Putting aside all of Brown’s nonsense, there is little doubt he’s the most talented receiver in Steelers history. And his six-season stretch from 2013-2018 is unmatched in NFL history. His status as a Hall of Famer is far more debatable given the length of his career and off-field issues.
Antonio Brown claimed Bruce Arians was holding him back until Ben Roethlisberger got him into the starting lineup.
The relationship between former Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown is, well, let’s say complicated. From Roethlisberger’s perspective, he’s always been consistent in his comments about Brown, even after Brown sabotaged a Hall of Fame career for the sake of hubris.
Brown, on the other hand, has been all over the map. One minute he’s praising Big Ben and the next he’s putting him on blast. But this time, on The Pivot Podcast, Brown credits Roethlisberger for convincing then-offensive coordinator Bruce Arians to put Brown in the starting lineup.
“Ben Roethlisberger the only reason I even started starting for the Steelers,” Brown said. “Literally he had to go tell Bruce Arians like yo I need AB at the X. Let me have him run these plays.”
Arians was the Steelers offensive coordinator from 2007-2011 and brown didn’t join the Steelers until 2010 so it wasn’t like Arians had a long time to “hold him back” as Brown put it. In 2011, Brown appeared in all 16 games and caught 69 passes for 1,108 yards.
The Steelers signed Cordarrelle Patterson in the offseason.
Just when you think you’ve heard the last of former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown talking about his old team, he makes a comeback like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Brown took to social media to vent about new Steelers wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson wearing jersey No. 84. Brown of course doesn’t feel like Patterson has earned the right to wear his old number.
“They ain’t really got the respect for me that I think, or the respect that you think you earned,” Brown said. “That could be trauma in itself to know just like, da*n. I gave my life to the Steelers and these guys don’t even give a sh*t about my body of work. They will just give a random guy who scored kick returns, who never even got 1,000 yards as a receiver ever in his career [my number over] a guy that was number one in history.”
I don’t recall Brown being so upset when wide receiver Rico Bussey wore No. 84 in 2021 and even wide receiver Jamal Custis wore the number briefly in offseason workouts back in 2019. Of course Brown hadn’t completely squandered his career yet so he had other things to hold his attention.
Christian McCaffrey is the near-universal 1.01 pick in every fantasy draft. Expect Josh Allen to be around a third-round pick in most leagues, and perhaps the first pick when it is a league starting two-quarterbacks. He will be the first quarterback selected. Want a tight end? Sam LaPorta is the first to go, even before Travis Kelce #GreatestTightEndEver #IsSheThere. CeeDee Lamb climbed the rankings and is the first wideout taken in nearly every draft. Why? Because these players were the top in their positions in 2023.
And hey – how great do they look on a shiny new fantasy roster this summer?
Happens every year. Literally – I’ve played fantasy football for over 30 years and it always happens. And yes, if I am first to raid a position, the previous No. 1 kind of screams “Take me! Don’t be an idiot!”
But do they really deliver again? How reliable have they been over the last ten years, at least returning as a viable and upper-tier pick?
Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterbacks – 20% reliable
NAME
Before
No. 1
After
Josh Allen
2
2023
na
Patrick Mahomes
4
2022
8
Josh Allen
1
2021
2
Josh Allen
9
2020
1
Lamar Jackson
29
2019
10
Patrick Mahomes
53
2018
10
Russell Wilson
11
2017
10
Aaron Rodgers
12
2016
31
Cam Newton
17
2015
15
Andrew Luck
7
2014
27
Finishing as the No. 10 fantasy quarterback the next season means that the player did not kill you, but offered no advantage – something you expect when selecting the first player from a position. And removing Josh Allen from the equation drops the return rate to pretty much 0%. Picking Allen again should payoff for the fifth-straight year.
Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs – 20% reliable
NAME
Before
No. 1
After
Christian McCaffrey
11
2023
na
Austin Ekeler
2
2022
24
Jonathan Taylor
6
2021
30
Alvin Kamara
9
2020
9
Christian McCaffrey
2
2019
53
Saquon Barkley
na
2018
10
Todd Gurley II
15
2017
3
David Johnson
8
2016
111
Devonta Freeman
48
2015
6
Le’Veon Bell
15
2014
48
The expectation that running backs rise and fall more than any other position is true. Christian McCaffrey is the only player showing up twice, and his 2020 “next season” performance flopped due to injury which is always a fear with running backs. Todd Gurley posted a No. 3 after his 2017 season which was about the last we saw of his knees. Saquon Barkley managed the feat as a rookie and has struggled with his own injury problems. The negative in being the No. 1 in any year is that for running backs, that meant a high-volume of touches that often lead to injury issues the following season.
Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
Tight Ends – 90% reliable
NAME
Before
No. 1
After
Sam LaPorta
na
2023
na
Travis Kelce
2
2022
3
Mark Andrews
6
2021
3
Travis Kelce
1
2020
2
Travis Kelce
1
2019
1
Travis Kelce
1
2018
1
Travis Kelce
1
2017
1
Travis Kelce
8
2016
1
Rob Gronkowski
1
2015
26
Rob Gronkowski
19
2014
1
The only outlier was Gronkowski who was a beast for two straight years and then battled injuries the next year. But otherwise, the worst you’d get with the No. 1 tight end was the No. 3 – still a major advantage in a position that holds minimal difference-makers. That feels good for the LaPorta pickers who are spending a third or fourth round pick to start the tight end run. But this position has been all about Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce for the last decade.
Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receiver – 60% reliable*
NAME
Before
No. 1
After
CeeDee Lamb
6
2023
na
Justin Jefferson
4
2022
31
Cooper Kupp
26
2021
23
Davante Adams
24
2020
2
Michael Thomas
6
2019
93
DeAndre Hopkins
1
2018
5
DeAndre Hopkins
27
2017
1
Antonio Brown
1
2016
2
Antonio Brown
1
2015
1
Antonio Brown
3
2014
1
Given the antics and bad press for Antonio Brown, it is easy to forget just how dominant a player that he was. The return rate for the top receiver was arguably 100% without injuries the next year. Michael Thomas broke down in 2020 after his historic 149-catch season that so far ended his fantasy value with constant ankle, hamstring and knee issues. He was like a running back that was just used up one season and never bounced back. Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson also saw their next season shortened due to injuries.
*It is notable that the number of catches seems to translate into injuries the next year. Consider the receptions that followed a No. 1 performance over the last five seasons and their following results when they had more than 125 receptions.
Michael Thomas (149-40)
Davante Adams (115-123)
Cooper Kupp (145-75)
Justin Jefferson (128-68)
CeeDee Lamb (135-?)
The Cowboys have changed nothing on their offense, so Lamb’s role should remain the same. But it at least draws a question as to whether Lamb can repeat without injury. None of the previous 125+ catch wideouts that were No. 1 were able to stay healthy during the last five years. Only Adams returned with a high-performance, but he only caught 115 passes when he recorded his No. 1.
Antonio Brown joined Le’Veon Bell at his latest boxing match.
Former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to find themselves in the news. And when it comes to Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, it always seems to be quite bizarre.
The latest happened this week when Bell stepped into the ring for his latest boxing match in full Steelers garb and had Brown by his side as his hype man heading to the ring. You can check out the pics and video below.
Seeing two former players who left under such unfortunate circumstances of their own creation repping the Steelers in this scenario is going to be too much for many Steelers fans. Bell won the fight and he shared some photos from the win.
Bell and Brown spent their best NFL seasons with the Steelers and both saw their NFL careers spiral after forcing their way out of Pittsburgh.
Antonio Brown talked about why he pushed his way out of the Steelers.
Say what you will, but there are times when former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has lucid moments and says things that make a lot of sense.
This was the case when he talked about why he forced his way into a trade. Brown was on Jason Whitlock’s podcast, “Fearless” and laid out his concerns with the Steelers and their inability to build a Super Bowl-winning squad.
“I wanted to get out of Pittsburgh because I was realizing we not going to win the Super Bowl,” Brown said. “We’re not going to do anything great. How we going to do anything great? You put in your top receiver against a kid, he’s a rookie. You think a rookie receiver gonna be able to take two double teams and the best guy every week? He’s not even prepared. We play football to be champions and to change the life of your family. I wanted to be a champion, so I’m not trying to leave the team because of the money.”
Say what you will but Brown isn’t wrong. Head coach Mike Tomlin and the front office never got the most out of the roster and while we loved the numbers Brown put up with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback but this group while Brown was on the team grossly underachieved.
2024 NFL draft: Grading the pick of WR Roman Wilson in the third round
After trading away wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a starting wide receiver became a top need in the 2024 NFL draft. This is despite the Steelers signing multiple veteran free agents. After going offensive line with the first two picks in the draft, the Steelers opted for former Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson in the third round.
What does Wilson bring to the party for the Steelers? Critics of Wilson will question whether or not he can line up consistently on the outside at only 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds but physically he’s practically a clone of former Steeler Antonio Brown.
Wilson’s game is all about his speed, explosion, competitive nature and sure hands. Wilson is very difficult to press and if you miss, he is gone. He is one of those receivers who has a second gear when he needs it and we hope to see more of it in the NFL.
Overall, we give this pick a B+. Wilson should get worked into the offense quickly and has all the makings of the next great Steelers receiver to come from the middle rounds.
Does Antonio Brown have a scoop on the Steelers’ next signing?
Take this for what it’s worth, but former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown says a deal will be done soon to bring safety Justin Simmons to Pittsburgh. Keep in mind that Brown did first have the news that the Texans were trading for wide receiver Stefon Diggs and also predicted the Steelers would sign Russell Wilson.
Simmons is 30 years old and a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro four times. He’s remained in the conversation of the top safeties in the AFC.
Simmons had a career-high 97 tackles in 2018 and a career-high six interceptions in 2022. The Steelers signed free agent DeShon Elliott this offseason but Simmons is certainly an upgrade. Simmons and Minkah Fitzpatrick would instantly form one of the most talented safety tandems in the NFL.
Antonio Brown doesn’t appreciate Cordarrelle Patterson wearing his jersey number.
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the jersey numbers for all of their free-agent additions this offseason. This included wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson will wear No. 84 for the Steelers, which happens to be the same number former Steeler Antonio Brown wore during his playing days.
This didn’t sit well with Brown who took to social media to whine about how the Steelers don’t typically formally retire jersey numbers but instead sort of shadow ban any players from wearing them. Brown took exception to this because his number didn’t get the same treatment.
Brown then said he would come back and play for the Steelers for free if the team lets him wear No. 86. This of course is Hines Ward’s old number and hasn’t been assigned to a team since his retirement. He also hit up former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell to see if he would come back to Pittsburgh if he could wear Jerome Bettis’ old number.
Antonio Brown’s social media page is… something else. He says a lot and plenty of things that we’re not going to bring up here.
But at one point, he took aim at Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Hamlin did not hold back.
After going through his cardiac arrest episode in 2023, Hamlin heard from AB on social media. The former NFL wideout suggested Hamlin is not a real person.
Welp, Hamlin went in on Brown pretty hard. He claimed AB had recently reached out to him on social media… and Hamlin ignored him.
Ouch.
Hamlin’s comeback can be found below:
You just DM me on Monday? guess you playing lame games on twitter with my situation because I ain’t DM you back. I pray God don’t ever let me turn into a burnt out old head like you.. I used to look up to you damn near shit sad frfr. Talk bout a clone bring the real AB back! 🤡👎🏾 https://t.co/AIgLUR60xI
