INDIANAPOLIS — Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said he does not think he has to repair the off-field image of receiver Antonio Brown, though it appears he continues to try to do so in an attempt to help improve the trade stock of his All-Pro receiver.
Colbert went out of his way several times on Wednesday at the NFL combine to emphasize the type of player and person Brown has been in his nine years with the Steelers, no doubt hoping it will help to counter some of Brown’s insubordinate behavior since the end of the season.
But he said Brown’s image does not need to be rebuilt.
“Not from our viewpoint,” Colbert said. “We know Antonio. Look, Antonio Brown is a great football player, not only on the game field but on the practice field. He’s a great competitor, he’s a highly emotional guy who hates to lose. That’s really the whole issue here — he’s disappointed we weren’t in the playoffs and we didn’t have a chance to win a Super Bowl.
“People may or not believe us, but that’s our stance. We need significant compensation for this to happen. I can’t speak to what other teams feel, but I know this: I totally have faith in Antonio Brown, not only as a football player, but as a father and as a man.”
While Colbert reiterated the Steelers will not trade Brown just to get rid of him and accept a lower offer, he has been careful to avoid saying the team will take him back on the roster.
When pressed on the matter again during a podium interview with national media members, Colbert said, “We are always going to look at Antonio Brown as a great player, a great contributor, and if there is something else out there that would offset that, great, we’ll do it. If not, then we’ll look at if we don’t trade Antonio and he’s going to be back with us, what are the benefits, what might be the drawbacks? We are always going to balance that, but we can’t say what will happen down the road.”
Brown is due a $2.5 million roster bonus on March 17, five days after the first day teams are officially allowed to execute trades. Colbert was non-committal about whether the Steelers would pay the bonus if they didn’t feel a trade with significant return was in place.
“We understand where things are contractually, and we’ve talked through different scenarios,” he said. “When we get to that we’ll make that determination. There may be more teams interested and bidding going on at that point, so, OK, maybe you have to make a move to keep that bidding going.
“But if you do that, what does that do to the rest of it. I don’t know because you don’t know what that compensation is. We’re aware of where it is. We’ll worry about March 17 down the road.”
At least five teams have shown an interest in a potential trade for the All-Pro receiver. While Colbert would not put an exact amount on the number of interested parties, he did say “interest has grown, and it will continue to go one way or another.”
If they wanted, the Steelers could give permission to Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to find a team and help work out a deal for his client. But Colbert said the Steelers declined to do that, preferring to handle the process themselves for now.
The Steelers have always had a good relationship with Rosenhaus, and Colbert said they will keep him informed.
“Our choice at this time is to keep that with us,” Colbert said. “We’ll keep him in the loop.”
One thing is certain: The Steelers have extended opportunities to talk potential trade with other coaches and general managers during their six-day stay at the combine, whether it’s in meetings, watching drills or merely running into them in the hallways leading to the interviews and workouts.
But Colbert said the talks are merely preliminary right now and trade value — what the Steelers might get in return — has not been discussed.
“There’s always casual conversation,” Colbert said. “The people that are interested will approach you and we’ll talk about it. We’ve opened that door, and we’ll talk about it.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac
First Published: February 27, 2019, 11:14 p.m.