Report: Steelers WR Brown to sit down with team owner

[February 16, 2019]  Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) looks on during warm-ups before the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who has requested a trade, will meet with team owner Art Rooney II, according to a report Friday from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Rooney is in Florida, where he owns a home, and has been hoping to at least open a line of communication with the disgruntled wideout, Rapoport reported. Brown initially declined before deciding to take the meeting.

Brown last week wrote on Twitter: "Thank you SteelerNation for a big 9 years ... time to move on and forward," adding the hashtag #NewDemands.

He is due a $2.5 million roster bonus on March 17.

Brown, a four-time All-Pro, has been embroiled in a dispute with the Steelers. He did not play in the final game of the regular season after missing a walk-through practice.

Brown, 30, has three years remaining on a five-year, $72.7 million contract extension that he signed before the 2017 campaign. He has surpassed 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past six seasons, and in 2018 he caught 104 passes for 1,297 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns.

Rooney, in a meeting with Pittsburgh-area media on Jan. 16, said he would be willing to discuss Brown's return to the Steelers, but there are "not that many signs out there that that's going to happen." Rooney told reporters he and Brown had not talked since the end of the season and he didn't expect him to return.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) looks on during warm-ups before the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

"I would have liked to have had the opportunity to talk to him and understand where he is," Rooney said at the time. "Maybe that will happen at some point, who knows?"

Brown has been involved in recent off-field incidents, including a citation for reckless driving in Pennsylvania and an allegation of pushing the mother of his daughter to the ground in Hollywood, Fla., according to a police report. The woman did not press charges and Brown was not arrested.

Brown has 837 career catches for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns in nine seasons with the Steelers.

--Field Level Media

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