The Antonio Brown era in Pittsburgh appears to be over.
Multiple reports early Sunday said the Steelers have agreed to trade Brown to the Oakland Raiders, closing the book on an exhilarating nine-year career here and ending one of the franchise’s most dramatic offseason story lines ever.
Through the twists and turns of the Brown saga since the last week of the regular season, it can be easy to forget how the unheralded wide receiver from Central Michigan grew before our eyes. Here’s a look at the top moments in Brown’s career as a member of the Steelers:
2010
The sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan had the look of a future star from the start. In just his second NFL game, he took a kickoff return 89 yards for a touchdown in a 19-11 win against the Tennessee Titans. His overall stats that year weren’t great — 16 catches for just 167 yards. That moment, however, was a clear signal that the Steelers may have gotten a steal at the bottom of the draft. It was just the first of many big plays to come.
2013
Calvin Johnson was the premier receiver in the NFL, fresh off a nearly 2,000-yard season, when Brown had his true breakout campaign a few years later. It’s appropriate, then, that the two had a memorable duel as Brown began his own ascent. In a November meeting at Heinz Field, both scored a pair of touchdowns. Johnson won in the yardage department, putting up 179 yards on six receptions. But Brown’s 147 yards on seven catches were more than enough to lead his team to a 37-27 win.
2014
If the return touchdown his rookie year was the sign that Brown was on his way to stardom, “the kick” was his announcement that he’d arrived. He actually did not score on what’s become an iconic punt return in the season opener at Heinz Field. He did make a statement, though. He knew he was good, and he wasn’t afraid to remind you in memorable — even controversial — ways.
2015
Among those controversial ways? Touchdown dances. Over the years, we’ve seen twerking. We’ve seen Hingle McCringleberry imitations. The most memorable was probably his, um, embrace of the the goalpost at the end of a punt return touchdown against Indianapolis. He was fined for that one, but hey, it’s not difficult to pay when business is boomin’ to the tune of a career-best 1,834-yard season.
2016
Brown didn’t win a Super Bowl with the Steelers, but you can’t accuse him of shrinking in big moments. With the Steelers trailing Baltimore late in a Christmas Day contest that would determine the AFC North, Brown willed his way into the end zone for a touchdown immediately dubbed the “Immaculate Extension.” The score sparked a run to the franchise’s first AFC championship appearance since Brown’s rookie year of 2010.
2017
How about a clutch catch and a miraculous one all in one play? In a rematch of an AFC divisional playoff game from the year before, Brown silenced the crowd at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium by hauling in a deflected pass and running it into the end zone that put the Steelers up by 10 points late in the fourth quarter. His 2017 season included a lot of key plays, but this was probably the prettiest.
2018
Brown’s last appearance in a Steelers uniform will go down as one of his best. With his team needing a win to preserve control of its playoff destiny, he left it all on the field, racking up 185 yards and two touchdowns on 14 receptions against the Saints. A phantom pass interference call on teammate Joe Haden and a late meltdown by the defense cost the Steelers a victory. But Brown gave fans one last great performance before the benching that was beginning of the end of his Steelers career the following week.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: March 10, 2019, 11:30 a.m.