Steelers Read & React: Is Antonio Brown a Hall of Famer? (2024)

As we endure what has been a particularly quiet few weeks of the Steelers’ 2024 offseason, Read & React is back to offer some discussion-worthy topics.

Is Antonio Brown a future Hall of Famer?

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

RB: Absolutely. That isn’t me endorsing Brown’s off-the-field problems, though — but if those mattered in the selection process, there’d be a lot of busts getting shipped to Goodwill.

Antics have some consequences, as it took a few tries for Terrell Owens to make it to Canton despite deserving first-ballot status from his impact as a player. I’d expect a similar scenario for Antonio Brown. I doubt he gets in when he’s first eligible in 2027, but he’ll be fitted for a gold jacket eventually.

That’s because Brown was simply too good of a receiver to be left out of the Hall of Fame. His prime from 2013-2018 was among the best we’ve ever seen, up there with the all-time greats at the position. Brown was uncoverable and incredibly productive during that span, being the unquestioned best at his position for a number of those seasons.

Longevity is worth mentioning, as Brown didn’t produce much outside of that aforementioned six-season run, although he did make the Pro Bowl in 2011 and won a Super Bowl ring in 2021 with the Buccaneers (even catching a touchdown in the game). But ultimately, having a dominant peak is what voters care about the most, as evidenced by Terrell Davis making Canton with just seven seasons played and 7,607 career rushing yards. Another name to consider is Calvin Johnson, who played less than a decade with 11,619 receiving yards, also making the hall.

Compare that to Brown, who despite lacking Jerry Rice-level career numbers, still accumulated absurdly good statistics and accolades over his career: 928 catches, 12,291 receiving yards, 83 receiving touchdowns, seven Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pros, a Super Bowl ring, and a spot on the Hall of Fame’s own 2010s All-Decade Team. He also led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards twice, leading in receiving touchdowns once. And don't forget a handful of iconic plays.

At the end of the day, you can’t talk about the best receivers in NFL history without mentioning Brown. That’s what it means to be a Hall of Famer.

To circle back to the character issues, it’s not lost on me that Antonio Brown quit on three of his last four NFL teams, something that voters probably will (and should) consider. But again, it wouldn’t be the first time. Owens had a reputation as a locker room cancer. Eli Manning refused to play for the team that drafted him. Rice admitted (and later walked back) that he used stickum during his career. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick had a number of questionable scandals during their time with the Patriots. All are or will find themselves enshrined in Canton, without question. It’s one of many black marks on Brown’s career, but it won’t be a deal-breaker given the precedent that’s been set.

So yes, Antonio Brown will and should be a Hall of Famer one day. He might not deserve it as a person, but for better or worse, the selection process doesn’t care. Just make sure his acceptance speech has a broadcast delay.

RP: From a talent and production standpoint, certainly. But for the sake of making this a more interesting exercise, I’ll take up the counterargument here.

Like Bickley has laid out so clearly, there’s no argument about how special of a player Brown was. As someone who had Brown on several fantasy rosters during that 2013-2018 stretch, I remember how fun that Killer B era of offense was to watch.

When I think of that time, I can’t help but feel that one highlight of his serves as the perfect metaphor for the Antonio Brown experience. A play that showed why Brown was equal parts captivating and frustrating.

Brown was fun to watch and root for because he truly played like someone who knew he was Superman and he would try things on the field I’d never seen before. That punt return shows it perfectly. Brown probably could have scored if he’d played more reserved there, but that wasn’t his style. Instead, he did something reckless that ended up penalizing his team. Objectively, it was a dangerous play for himself and for Spencer Lanning the punter. But it was also so cool. Full confession: I had the poster of this play.

So, the argument against AB to the Hall of Fame really hinges on the temperament of the voting body. There is no exact criteria for getting into the hall. Some combination of championships, statistical production and popularity come into play.

Sure, Brown got his ring with Tampa, but he wasn’t the featured weapon and sparsely played during that final chapter of his career.

Brown’s stats seem Hall of Fame worthy, but if getting in was only about passing certain statistical thresholds, why aren’t receivers like Hines Ward — who has more receptions and touchdowns than Brown, has also crossed the 12,000 yard mark, and has three Super Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl rings and a Super Bowl MVP — still waiting to get in? Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt formed one of the most explosive duos in NFL history with the Greatest Show on Turf, and both have comparable stats to Brown. Bruce retired second all-time in receiving yards but had to wait through six years of eligibility before getting in. Holt is still hoping to one day get the golden jacket.

Bickley mentioned Owens as an example of how Brown could eventually get in. On the contrary, I think Owens is a good example for why Brown could be left out. After Owens’ final season, he was fifth all-time in receptions, second in receiving yards and tied with Randy Moss for second-most receiving touchdowns. That’s about as slam dunk of a production profile you could have. Brown by comparison is 21st in receptions, 25th in receiving yards and tied for 26th in receiving touchdowns.

Owens wasn’t a first-ballot inductee and was passed over a second time before eventually getting in. For a lot of fans, TO is the standard they think of when someone mentions WR divas. However, I find his transgressions are pretty tame in comparison to some of Brown’s legal woes. And while Terrell Owens had plenty of media controversy, he never broadcast live from his locker room as his coaches were saying not to nor did Owens release audio from a phone call between him and his head coach. And lastly, Owens famously wasn’t ready to retire and wanted to keep playing when teams deemed him too old. Hell, he’s still out here running routes. Meanwhile, the last image of Brown many voters might carry is him quitting on his team. Or maybe that hotel swimming pool incident, but I digress.

I also feel like I have to mention that among voters, there can sometimes be team-fatigue when certain teams already have a ton of players in the hall. The Steelers are one of those decorated teams, with 30 members inducted, tied for sixth-most. No voter would cop to it, but that’s the kind of stuff that could weigh on a voter’s mind when they’re trying to split hairs between deserving candidates.

Brown was one of my favorite players, but I can’t pretend I’d be shocked if voters decided to cast their votes elsewhere. We’ve seen Hall of Fame voters in other sports take stances against players they deemed problematic. For a period of time, you could argue that Brown was not only the best receiver in the game, but the best player period. Time will tell if voters believe that should outweigh any personal feeling they might have on his character. Brown becomes eligible in 2027.

BTSC is rolling out the polls for the All-Time Steelers team. Who is your all-time favorite Steeler that you got to watch play?

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

RP: I was truly spoiled growing up. I’ve gotten to witness two championships and a lot of great players over the years. An honorable mention goes to Troy Polamalu, my favorite defensive player and a singular talent. But if you asked me to name only one guy as my all-time favorite Steeler, I have to go with Hines Ward.

Hines embodied so much of what I think Steelers fans pride themselves in. Ward played the game like a blue-collar worker. He played quarterback and running back at Georgia before being drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round in 1998. He was never the flashiest player, but Ward developed as a receiver and became someone you could count on to get the tough yards and make a clutch play.

On a team that prided itself in running the ball, Ward wasn’t afraid to get physical as a blocker. In fact, Ward was such a menace that they changed the rules of the game, with this block on former Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers starting as a catalyst. So maybe not all of Ward’s blocks would be legal today, but if you want to see a Steelers’ fan face light up, play them the clip of other players and media members discussing why other teams hated to play him.

Ward was also a top-tier teammate. I mentioned Polamalu earlier, here is what he had to say about Ward.

Ward was also a key figure in what grew during the early 200s to become the best rivalry in professional sports: Steelers-Ravens. Ward was both despised and respected by Ravens players, as Hall of Famer Ed Reed and Ward discussed in this NBC Promo.

I already listed Ward’s accolades in the previous section, so I won’t repeat myself here. But as a lifelong member of the “Psych Ward” I truly hope he gets his day in Canton.

RB: The that you got to watch play caveat is brutal here as a younger Steelers fan. I’ve researched the greatness of the 1970s teams, watched the legendary Joe Greene Coca-Cola ad, and read the Jerome Bettis autobiography. I know about Hines Ward and Mel Blount changing the rules of the game, and I’ve taken a photo with the Franco Harris immaculate reception statue at the Pittsburgh Airport.

But I never saw any of those moments live, only reliving the memories of those who did. You might think that makes me less of a fan somehow, but I’d argue the opposite — I don’t have a single memory of watching a Steelers Super Bowl victory live. I’m about as far removed from a bandwagon fan as it gets.

But to answer the question, based purely on play, it’s AB. However, his personal baggage has long since removed him from consideration as a favorite player. I’ll go with my current answer: T.J. Watt.

Now, you’re probably already typing “recency bias” in the comments below. But look at it from my perspective: I got to watch some Steelers legends such as Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison in the latter halves of their careers, getting to appreciate their greatness but never seeing the full scope of their time in Pittsburgh and what they meant to the team.

On the flip side, Watt is the rare all-time great Steeler I’ve been able to watch since his rookie season, seeing him grow as a player, leader, and legend. From the “he was only drafted because he’s J.J.’s brother” comments to the first (and hopefully not last) Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Watt is already Pittsburgh’s all-time sack leader and a mere 3.5 away from the coveted 100 mark. And of course, he’s had plenty of memorable plays, from a helmet-less sack to some crazy line-of-scrimmage interceptions and even a playoff touchdown against the Chiefs that gave the Steelers some fleeting hope against Patrick Mahomes.

But two moments stand out in particular. The first was his touchdown against the Browns last year that secured the Steelers’ 26-22 win. I distinctly remember grimly commenting ahead of the play that it’d take a Watt touchdown for Pittsburgh to win, and just like that, he delivered. I should’ve bought a lottery ticket that night. It’s purely anecdotal, but that’s the stuff favorite players are made from.

The second didn’t happen on the field, but rather it was the report that Watt ignored his agent and marched into the Steelers’ office back in 2021 to get his big-money extension finalized and return to football. He then followed up the massive deal by recording a two-sack performance in the season opener. That’s the attitude you love to see. It also guaranteed Watt would spend his prime in the Steel City.

It’s disappointing not to put down Mean Joe Greene as my answer, but it’s a testament to the Steelers organization that so many great players have donned the black and gold over the years. No matter what decade you started watching the Steelers in, you’ll have no problem finding a favorite player worth rooting for.

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Who’s YOUR favorite Steeler you got to watch play? Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia.