Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown may be looking for a contract bump after the deals signed by TY Hilton, Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas this offseason. Brown has established himself as one of the most explosive players in the league and his agent could ask for a raise and this comes as running back Le'Veon Bell said he is ready to serve his suspension and get the season started for the team.
Brown is coming into the season after having a very productive year for the Steelers and according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Brown's agent will meet with the team to discuss his contract. Drew Rosenhaus is Brown's agent and he got the deal done for Hilton and now Brown could be next in line for a raise. Brown said earlier in the offseason he was not planning to hold out and now it's time to see if the Steelers will agree to re-working the deal.
Brown is even more important to the Steelers this season, as Le'Veon Bell will be out for two games after being suspended. Bell said to the media in training camp that he is ready to start once the ban is over and the team has confidence that DeAngelo Williams can step in while he is out. Bell should still be a top draft option in fantasy after putting up a combined 2000-plus yards last season rushing and receiving. The According to Pro Football Talk, the Steelers have added wide receiver David Nelson on a contract.
Brown signed a $43 million contract in 2012 and he is still signed through the 2017 season, so free agency is not on the horizon yet. While the Steelers may not want to give a significant raise now since the deal is still locked in for a couple more years, it could be a prudent move. With the way Brown has been playing and the way the salary cap and NFL offenses are built, Brown will only get more expensive as time goes on. If Brown wants a raise and it's not extravagant, the Steelers and the receiver could agree on a pay bump.
Brown was not in involuntary workouts, but he showed up to training camp on time and now Adam Schefter at ESPN.com reports that the sides are meeting Friday to "discuss a reworked contract." TY Hilton just signed a new contract extension and he received a five-year, $65 million deal with the Colts. Hilton will have $40 million guaranteed in the deal and he comes in set to make $665,000 in the final year of his rookie deal. Hilton was signed after Bryant and Thomas, who each got big deals at $70 million.
Brown might be looking at the middle ground of those deals, as he likely can state a case that he is a better receiver than Hilton. Hilton being on his rookie deal helped push things to this and now Brown could be in line for a raise as well. Last season Brown had a career year with 129 catches for 1698 yards and 13 touchdowns, all highs in his time with the Steelers. In 2013 Brown broke out with 110 catches for nearly 1500 yards and eight touchdowns and over the last two seasons he has been as productive as any receiver in the NFL.