Antonio Brown had dropped jaws with his intense practice sessions and work ethic, but his antics cost him what could have been a lengthy and legendary career. While reiterating AB’s lost potential, former New England wide receiver Julian Edelman even said the Patriots would have won it all in 2019 (Super Bowl LIV), if they had been able to keep Antonio on the team.
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Edelman also mentioned how Brown elevated the level of practice, and how badly Tom Brady wanted him on the team.
“We didn’t have a ball touch the ground when Antonio practiced,” Edelman recounted to Michael Bennett on the Games With Names podcast. “We had the best week of practice. Because he rose to the level of everyone else… Man, we would’ve won a Super Bowl in ’19 if he would’ve stayed.”
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Brown’s tumultuous 2019 season began with much excitement. He was first traded to and signed the highest-paying WR contract at the time with the then-Oakland Raiders. However, they released him before the season started due to off-the-field issues, including Brown getting frostbite on his feet from cryotherapy.
He was also involved in a dispute with the NFL over what helmet he could wear. The situation escalated when he had a confrontation with GM Mike Mayock, leading to his release.
However, he was quickly scooped up by the Patriots. AB played just one game with Brady and the Pats, but what a game it was.
Brown accounted for just four receptions for 56 yards and a TD, but it all occurred in the span of two back-to-back drives in the first half. It was looking like the Pats were back. But then reality struck.
Brown was eventually cut by the Pats after some threatening messages he had sent to a woman were revealed, accusing him of sexual misconduct. He then began 2020 as a free agent and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he teamed up with Brady again to win his only career Super Bowl ring.
Edelman then recalled his own performance in 2019. The “what could have been” was evident in the words when he described his last big season. Edelman produced 1117 yards on exactly 100 receptions. He also snuck into the end zone six times that year.
Edelman’s production along with Brady, and a solid run game, got the Pats into the playoffs that year. However, their flaws showed in what would be Brady’s final game for the team. They lost 20-13 to a well-coached Tennessee Titans team which had Mike Vrabel and Derrick Henry. And that ended Brady’s career in New England, and pretty much Edelman’s as well.
Tom Brady’s last pass as a New England Patriot.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/7FUOgyHbQo
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 17, 2020
Edelman tried to continue his career in 2020. He even had a stellar 179-yard game in just his second appearance with a new QB, Cam Newton. But another leg injury, and then COVID-19, sent Edelman into retirement.
It is fun to imagine what could have been with Edelman and Brown as a duo. Brady needed the second option, and it showed throughout the 2019 season. Rob Gronkowski had retired, and the Pats suffered because of it. It goes to show that no matter how good a QB-WR tandem is, they need supporting cast members to reach elite status.
