NFL Pro Bowl Wide Receiver Considering Playing for MLB's San Diego Padres

By Brian Jones

One NFL wide receiver is ready to be a two-sport athlete. A.J. Brown of the Tennesee Titans went to social media this week and hinted at playing professional baseball. In a tweet, Brown wrote that he thinks "about playing both sports again," while posting a photo of a famous two-sport athlete Bo Jackson. He also tweeted at the San Diego Padres saying that all he needs is "a workout." 

In another tweet, Brown wrote: "I promise I will do better than Michael Jordan in baseball." Brown was drafted by the Padres in 2016. While in high school, Brown made the UnderArmour All-America team in 2015, according to NFL.com. He was drafted in the 19th round only because teams weren't sure if he was going to choose baseball or football. Brown signed with the Padres but still played football for Ole Miss. He went on to have a strong career at Ole Miss before being selected in the second round by the Titans. After making the All-Rookie Team in 2019, Brown had a breakout season in 2020, catching 70 passes for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns, which led to him being selected to the Pro Bowl. 

"I remember my first NFL game against the Cleveland Browns," Brown said in an interview with Draft Wire in October 2020. "I watched Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry run out of the tunnel onto the field as the crowd went absolutely crazy. I could just feel the atmosphere change at that moment when those guys made their entrance. They're true superstars. That was my 'Welcome to the NFL' moment. I felt like, 'I'm here now.'"

Brown, who caught 63 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns this season, also shared some advice he would offer to a young receiver looking to get into the NFL. "I would just advise them not to think too much," she said. "It's still football at the end of the day. This game and this league is more mental than it is physical. Never forget that. That's what it is at this point. You just have to get over that hump. It can be tough for a young guy, but the mental aspect is definitely the most important part."

Two-sports athletes aren't common but are part of sports history. Other notable two-sport stars include Deion Sanders, Brian Jordan and Jim Thorpe who won two gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympic Games while also playing for the Canton Bulldogs in the NFL and the New York Giants in MLB.  

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