Art Rooney II publicly said it is \"hard to envision\" Antonio Brown remaining with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019.
Brown\'s absence in Week 17 practices resulted in a benching for the season finale.
\"There\'s not much we can do right now; we have time to make a decision,\" Rooney said. \"We\'ll look at all the options. We\'re not going to release him, that\'s not on the table. But I will say all other options are on the table. Whether the situation can be reconciled and have him back on the team next year, we\'re a long way from thinking that can happen. We\'re not closing the door on anything at this point.\"
The Steelers couldn\'t trade Brown until March 13th. Brown\'s $2.5 million roster bonus due March 17 would incentivize the Steelers to deal him. The Steelers would absorb $21.12 million in 2019 dead money on the salary cap by trading Brown, but taking his $22.165 million cap charge off the books would offset that cost.
Rooney said in the interview that salary-cap implications would not \"box us into anything.\"