NFL Rumors: Antonio Brown To Reunite With Tom Brady, Join Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Antonio Brown is reportedly coming back to the NFL and headed to a reunion with his former teammate, Tom Brady.

ESPN reported on Friday that the former All-Pro wide receiver reached an agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year contract. Though the deal had not yet been officially announced, and the details were still being worked out and language finalized, Adam Schefter reported that Brown could be on track to play in the team’s November 8 game against the New Orleans Saints.

Brown has been out of football since a controversial exit from the New England Patriots last season, where he left amid allegations of misconduct. He had already engineered a messy exit from the Oakland Raiders just weeks before, taking to social media to publicly ask for his release from the team that had traded for him in the months prior.

The league handed him an eight-game suspension, which had just finished and left Brown a free agent. ESPN reported the Seattle Seahawks had also been in the running to sign him before the Buccaneers were able to finish a deal.

Tom Brady has been “pushing” for the Bucs to sign Antonio Brown, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/e483sLgXTu

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 23, 2020

Brown played only one game for the Patriots last year, but there were ongoing rumors that Brady was pushing for New England to give him another look.

Brady will now get that chance again with his new team. The ESPN report noted that his services could be badly needed as wide receiver Mike Evans has been playing on an injured ankle this season and Chris Godwin just returned from a hamstring injury. Deep threat Scotty Miller has also been hampered by injury.

Despite the spate of injuries, the Buccaneers lead the NFC South at 4-2 and have been among the conference’s top teams, with Brown’s rumored addition potentially making their standing stronger.

The Bucs will likely need to keep Brown on a short leash, as any further incidents could lead to harsher discipline, the report added. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Brown has expressed optimism about a return to the NFL, saying he was ready for a fresh start and committed to being a better teammate.

“I look forward to new beginnings. I want to be the best version of myself on and off the field, and I will do my best to be a great teammate,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I appreciate the NFL giving me the opportunity to continue to work on myself and improve.”