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NFL notebook: Steelers' Brown requests trade

[February 13, 2019] Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown said it's "time to move on" in a tweet Tuesday and also officially requested a trade from the team, ESPN reported.

"Thank you SteelerNation for a big 9 years ... time to move on and forward," Brown tweeted with the hashtag #NewDemands, along with a highlight video from his time in Pittsburgh.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said Brown officially informed the team he wants to be traded.

The tweet and request came on the same day Brown was found guilty of reckless driving, multiple Pittsburgh media outlets reported.

--The Arizona Cardinals are deflecting chatter that they might take Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, as both coach Kliff Kingsbury and team president Michael Bidwill made comments in support of the status quo.

Kingsbury said Josh Rosen is the club's quarterback, while Bidwill said the Cardinals are committed to building "around the foundation that we have."

"Our thoughts and feelings about Josh haven't waned or changed or anything," Kingsbury said of Rosen, whom Arizona drafted 10th overall last year. "I get that we have the first pick, and there will be a million scenarios over the next three months that are going to come up, but Josh is our guy."

--The Oakland Raiders have resumed negotiations with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum about playing there during the 2019 season, an official who oversees the stadium confirmed.

"In my view, the discussions have been meaningful and productive," Scott McKibben, executive director of the Coliseum Authority, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The sides had previously agreed on a $7.5 million fee for the Raiders to play home games at the Coliseum in 2019, the last year before they move to Las Vegas. However, the team pulled out of the deal after the city of Oakland filed a federal lawsuit in December over the Raiders' pending departure.

--Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was released by the Houston Texans.

Thomas, 31, is recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon sustained Dec. 23 and is unlikely to be cleared for football activity until July or August.

Thomas, acquired from the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round pick in October, had a base salary of $12 million for 2019. He will count $3.5 million against the Texans' salary cap in dead money.

--With a switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense coinciding with the arrival of head coach Bruce Arians, defensive end Vinny Curry was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The move saves the Buccaneers $8 million against the 2019 salary cap. Curry joined Tampa Bay on a three-year, $23 million deal last March, but none was guaranteed past 2018. He managed just 2.5 sacks and seven QB hits last season.

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Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) looks on during warm-ups before the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field. Brown has been ruled out of the game due to injury. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

--One week after being released by the New York Jets, free agent guard/center Spencer Long signed a three-year deal with the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.

According to CBS Sports, Long's deal is worth $13 million, with an additional $2 million available via incentives.

The Bills also announced they re-signed cornerback Lafayette Pitts to a one-year deal. Terms were not disclosed.

--The Cincinnati Bengals interviewed Todd Grantham for their defensive coordinator position, according to Schefter.

A report from The Athletic on Monday pegged Grantham, currently the defensive coordinator at Florida, as the leading candidate to join new coach Zac Taylor's staff.

Grantham, 52, coached in the NFL from 1999-2009, including three years as the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns from 2005-07.

--Projected first-round draft pick Jeffery Simmons confirmed he tore his left ACL in training and will undergo surgery next week.

Simmons, a defensive lineman from Mississippi State, has been considered a potential top-15 draft pick, but a torn ACL likely will impact his draft slot. In a statement on social media, Simmons said the injury occurred last weekend as he did position drills while training in Boca Raton, Fla.

--Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas, who also enjoyed a Hall of Fame playing career with the team, retired after 51 years of involvement in the NFL.

Thomas, 75, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1986.

--Longtime NFL scout Ron Hughes died, the Steelers and the Detroit Lions announced. He was 75.

Hughes joined the Steelers in 2001 and served as college scouting coordinator from 2003 until 2013 before retiring in 2015. He also spent 20 years in the Detroit Lions' personnel department.

--Carolina Panthers fullback Alex Armah detained a man who was trying to break into his car.

Armah, who has played 27 games with the Panthers in two NFL seasons, told ESPN he put the man in an arm bar until police could arrive to arrest him.

--Field Level Media

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