The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Steelers owner Art Rooney II said last week that it is “hard to envision” Brown returning to the team for the 2019 season after he was benched for the final game of the regular season in the wake of missed practices and incidents with other members of the team. Rooney spoke with local reporters again on Wednesday and the message hasn’t changed. Rooney said, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that no trade talks regarding Brown have happened yet and left the door open for a reconciliation, but there are “not that many signs out there that that’s going to happen.”
Diehards Line:
One sign of a potential thaw would be a conversation with Brown, but Rooney said that he has not spoken to the receiver since the end of the season. Despite the team’s unhappiness with Brown’s behavior, Rooney said that the team paid Brown for the final week of the regular season. “He probably did what he needed to do to avoid his last check being voided,” Rooney said. The question of who will be issuing Brown’s next check will continue to be a major storyline as the offseason fully unfolds around the NFL.