INDIANAPOLIS — Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has made it clear he is willing to trade disgruntled wide receiver Antonio Brown for the right price. He said Wednesday he is hearing from several interested teams and expects to hear from more after the NFL scouting combine this week.
“The last time I spoke I think I said three teams,” Colbert said. “What I would say is that interest has grown, and it will continue to go one way or another because as we’re here at the combine we’re learning about alternatives to your current team. You may come away feeling better, you may feel worse.
“The one thing that doesn’t change is Antonio Brown’s value, not only to us but anyone else in the National Football League. He is who he is. We have to weigh that. Other teams have to weigh that against what their alternatives are. That will be more clear at the end of this week.”
Colbert reiterated his stance that the Steelers will not just give Brown away. There are questions about what Pittsburgh can fetch for Brown, who is immensely talented but has spent the past two months taking shots at the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
“Antonio Brown is one of the best players in the National Football League,” Colbert said. “We’d like to have him on our team. If you lose a player like that, if you decide to take a player like that off your team, you best have the compensation that will justify removing that player and that would be significant compensation either in the form of a draft pick or picks or a player and picks just so you can try to balance off the great loss that will happen if you lose a player like that.”
Colbert acknowledged they would prefer to trade Brown outside of the division. There have been reports that the Steelers won’t deal him inside the AFC North or to the Patriots. Colbert said if the price is right, though, he would send Brown to any team.
“We haven’t eliminated anybody,” Colbert said.
The Steelers have been one of the most stable organizations for years, but they have been plagued by drama lately with Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell, who will be a free agent next month. But Colbert took issue with the idea they have dysfunction.
“I really don’t agree with the perception that there’s huge drama inside the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room,” Colbert said. “Coach [Mike] Tomlin treats our players like men. He gives them the opportunity to be a man. He tries to grow them not only as professional football players but as fathers, as brothers, just as men. I have complete disagreement with the perception that our locker room is anything but very functional.”
