Huge receiver Antonio Brown is re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year contract, his agent instructed NFL Community on Wednesday.
Brown’s deal could possibly be price as much as $6.25 million, his agent stated. He’s assured $three.1 million, together with a $2 million signing bonus.
To make the wanted cap room to signal Brown, the Buccaneers and tight finish Cameron Brate have agreed to a restructured deal that clears $four.69 million in cap house for 2021, a supply instructed ESPN’s Area Yates.
Brate’s wage for subsequent season drops to $1.075 million, and he will get a $2.425 million signing bonus, the supply stated. As they’ve completed typically this offseason, the Buccaneers included two voidable years on the contract.
After serving an eight-game suspension final season for violating the NFL’s private conduct coverage, Brown signed with the Buccaneers simply earlier than their Week 9 sport towards the New Orleans Saints. Whereas his contract with the Buccaneers was a far cry from his earlier salaries — his base wage was $750,000, with incentives that pushed the deal to $2.5 million — the transfer reunited him with quarterback Tom Brady and afforded him the possibility to get his life again on observe after being out of soccer for over a yr and initially calling it quits after he was lower by the New England Patriots in September 2019.
Bruce Arians initially stated Brown “was not a match” for the Buccaneers’ locker room within the early spring of 2020, however the coach relented when accidents started piling up. After assembly with Brown in October, Arians stated he believed the large receiver had “matured.”
Brown honored that belief, with Arians calling him a “mannequin citizen” through the season. Regardless of being on felony probation for a battery cost towards a supply truck driver and dealing with a sexual assault lawsuit, Brown stored his identify out of the headlines in Tampa Bay whereas being productive on the sector.
Final week, Brown reached a settlement together with his former coach, who had filed a civil go well with accusing him of sexually assaulting her on three separate events.
Common supervisor Jason Licht stated final week that resolving Brown’s authorized state of affairs would not be a precursor to re-signing him, but it surely did present readability on this state of affairs. Licht known as Brown a “good participant and an excellent teammate.”
Brown, 32, led the Buccaneers in receiving targets over the ultimate 5 weeks of the common season and didn’t document a drop in 2020. He additionally produced the best yards after the catch of any Buccaneers receiver with 5.82.
Tampa Bay showcased his versatility, lining him up inside, exterior and within the backfield. His capacity to alter gears and cease and go helped open a brand new dimension to the Buccaneers’ offense, which was primarily a downfield passing assault earlier than Brady’s arrival.
Brown spent the primary 9 seasons of his profession with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a seven-time Professional Bowl choice and four-time first-team All Professional. He has 886 receptions for 11,746 yards and 79 touchdowns in 139 regular-season video games over 11 seasons.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.