Wide receiver Antonio Brown is re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year contract, his agent told NFL Network on Wednesday.
Brown’s deal could be worth up to $6.25 million, his agent said. He is guaranteed $3.1 million, including a $2 million signing bonus.
The re-signing means the Buccaneers are bringing back all 22 starters who started Super Bowl LV.
After serving an eight-game suspension last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, Brown signed with the Buccaneers just before their Week 9 game against the New Orleans Saints. While his contract with the Buccaneers was a far cry from his previous salaries — his base salary was $750,000, with incentives that pushed the deal to $2.5 million — the move reunited him with quarterback Tom Brady and afforded him the chance to get his life back on track after being out of football for over a year and initially calling it quits after he was cut by the New England Patriots in September 2019.
Bruce Arians initially said Brown “was not a fit” for the Buccaneers’ locker room in early spring of 2020, but the coach relented when injuries began piling up. After meeting with Brown in October, Arians said he believed the wide receiver had “matured.”
Brown honored that trust, with Arians calling him a “model citizen” during the season. Despite being on felony probation for a battery charge against a delivery truck driver and facing a civil lawsuit for sexual assault, Brown kept his name out of the headlines in Tampa Bay while being productive on the field. The civil suit with a former trainer was settled last week.
Brown, 32, led the Buccaneers in receiving targets over the final five weeks of the regular season and did not record a drop in 2020. He also produced the highest yards after the catch of any Buccaneers receiver with 5.82.
Tampa Bay showcased his versatility, lining him up inside, outside and in the backfield. His ability to change gears and stop and go helped open a new dimension to the Buccaneers’ offense, which was primarily a downfield passing attack before Brady’s arrival.
Brown spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time first-team All Pro. He has 886 receptions for 11,746 yards and 79 touchdowns in 139 regular-season games over 11 seasons.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.
Source:ESPN
