When the Oakland Raiders released wide receiver Antonio Brown prior to the first regular-season game, there were questions about his future prospects. Ultimately, he joined the New England Patriots for a brief tenure, but at the time, his prospects appeared bleak. The answer for many was for Brown to join the XFL, but he is making it very clear that this is not an option.
“XFL, never,” Brown said during a live stream on Instagram. “That’s not even in the question.” This statement was made shortly after Brown told the New England Patriots to call him and let him earn the money that he believed they would soon be paying him.
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In 2020, Vince McMahon will be bringing the XFL back to television screens. This short-lived league failed to find success back in 2001, but the head of WWE is hopeful that this second attempt will be wildly successful. Finding the right players is critical for McMahon, which will be done with the upcoming XFL draft in mid-October.
.@AB84 Antonio Brown: “If you guys follow the Patriots, tell them to call me, they still gotta pay me so might as well let me earn it.” pic.twitter.com/w1xxr8brwv
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 9, 2019
In the eyes of fans, Brown is the right man to take the XFL to the next level. He has the personality and off-the-field issues that would fit with the XFL’s stigma, and talented enough to make the games exciting. There were many fans on board with this idea in early September and they continually voiced this opinion on social media.
At the moment, Brown seems deadset against playing in McMahon’s league, but will his opinion change in time? He said that the Patriots will “have to pay” him, so they might as well pay him early on Wednesday, which was in reference to the $40 million grievance filed against the Raiders and the Patriots.
Getting paid by New England would certainly give him the financial stability to turn down any potential offers to join the XFL. Losing out on this cash, however, may put him in a different frame of mind.
Brown may say that he will never play in the XFL given that he is actively trying to get back in the NFL and is once again posting his workouts on social media. However, there is more of this story that could be written in the coming months depending on his legal issues and the grievances against NFL teams.
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