Pittsburgh Steelers fans and former wide receiver Antonio Brown have a complicated relationship. The way Brown has acted since leaving the organization makes him hard to root for, but it is also hard not to appreciate his legendary career in Pittsburgh. Brown forced his way out of Pittsburgh by requesting a trade after the 2018 season, and finished his career with stints with the then-Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In addition to the way Brown left Pittsburgh, his actions off the field over the last several years have been despicable. He has found himself in legal trouble multiple times, and has seriously tarnished his legacy. Despite that, he was one of the best players in the league while he was catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. Brown recently went on The Pivot Podcast, which is hosted by his former teammate Ryan Clark. He spoke about his start in Pittsburgh, and how he was held back initially.
"Ryan Clark knows my relationship with Bruce Arians. How many years you know Bruce Arians done hold me back? Ben Roethlisberger the only reason I even started starting for the Steelers. Literally, he had to go tell Bruce Arians, 'Yo, I need AB at the X. Let me have him run these plays.' So you guys don't understand when something happens, like the build up moment."
Bruce Arians was with the Steelers from 2004 through 2011, and was the team's offensive coordinator from 2007 and on. Brown and Arians didn't see eye to eye, and Arians didn't give Brown the proper playing time until Roethlisberger said something. Brown and Arians overlapped in Pittsburgh for two seasons, and Brown started just three games during that time. Despite not receiving a lot of snaps, Brown still caught 85 passes for 1,275 over the two seasons.
Arians didn't seem to appreciate Brown's talent in Pittsburgh, although he was just a coordinator and may not have had much say in lineup decisions. Brown had his first 1,000-yard season in 2011, and really solidified himself in 2013 when he recorded nearly 1,500 yards and 8 touchdowns. This was the first of six consecutive seasons of 1,000 receiving yards or more in Pittsburgh.
Roethlisberger and Brown were the most electric duo in the NFL for the better part of the 2010s. They never accomplished their main goal of winning a Super Bowl, but they constantly had the Steelers labeled as contenders. They had the kind of connection that fans see on the Kansas City Chiefs between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
The duo of Roethlisberger and Brown would end up combining for 10,768 yards, 804 receptions, and 74 touchdowns. Both players are a big reason that the other should be wearing a gold jacket one day.
Steelers Legend Reunited With Bruce Arians
Brown speaks about Arians as if he hates him, but he chose to reunite with him when he signed with the Buccaneers in 2020. Arians was the head coach of Tampa Bay from 2019 through 2021, and the two achieved more success than they ever did in Pittsburgh by winning Super Bowl LV. Brown scored a touchdown in the victory, while catching 5 passes for 22 yards.
Brown's career ended when he took his jersey and shoulder pads off in the middle of a game with the Buccaneers, and ran off the field. Ironically, the reason this happened was because Arians wanted Brown to go back into the game, but Brown refused. Brown claimed he had suffered a serious ankle injury, which he said the coaches knew about. Arians still wanted Brown to get into the game, which led to his dramatic exit.
Brown's career began with him being frustrated because he wasn't involved enough in Arians' offense, and it ended because Arians was trying to overplay him.
