The Pittsburgh Steelers have opened up offseason workouts, but wideout Antonio Brown is not present and reports say he could be considering a holdout and this comes as the team has met with Jaelen Strong ahead of the NFL draft and he could be a potential target at wide receiver along with Breshad Perriman, Justin Hardy and Nelson Agholor.
Last season Brown had a monster year and now he could stay away from offseason workouts and training camp this summer if he wants a new deal. According to FOX Sports, Mike Garafolo reports that Browns could consider sitting out minicamp and training camp in the hopes of getting a new deal. Pro Football Talk pointed out that while Brown is a bit underpaid based on his performance, he had three years remaining on his deal.
Most teams do not usually work on new contracts with players when they have that many years left, but Brown is not just any player. The Steelers have shown they are willing to move on from players, ie Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace, but Brown is better than both of those players. According to Over the Cap, Brown is making $8.39 million for this year and that puts him at 13th for WRs, which is not indicative of how good he is.
Last season Brown had 13 touchdowns with 129 catches for 1689 yards and in his career he has 26 touchdowns and over 300 catches. Brown has been as productive as anyone in the league over the last couple years and now he wants to get paid like a top five or even a top 10 receiver. Ben Roethlisberger signed a new deal this offseason and now his top target could be looking to get a major rework of his contract.
The Steelers have met with Jaelen Strong ahead of the draft and the class this year at WR could be a target for the team with Brown possibly holding out. While Brown likely will remain with the team, the Steelers could look at adding more depth with Brown, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant on the roster. Players like Breshad Perriman, Kevin White, DeVante Parker and Amari Cooper are considered some of the top players at the position and there is a deep class behind them.
Strong could be a nice fit for the offense, as he has shown while playing in college that he has explosive skills. Strong comes in after putting up 75 catches for 1122 yards and seven touchdowns for Arizona State and he averaged over 10 yards per catch last season as well. Strong is getting checked out for a wrist issue this offseason heading into the draft, but reports say he will not need surgery. The Steelers were one of the top passing teams in the league last season and now they could add another wideout if Brown holds out.
