News & Info/Headlines

Following up on the ongoing story. ... Antonio Brown has officially requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

The news of Brown's trade request comes right after the star wide receiver tweeted a farewell to the Steelers and their fans, saying it is "time to move on and forward. ..."

But is any of this new?

While this afternoon’s tweet suggests that there’s been a recent development between Brown and the Steelers, a league source tells Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio there hasn’t been.

Florio’s source says that Brown previously has requested a trade, and that he still wants one.

Brown is under contract for three seasons. He signed his most recent contract two years ago, and he has received more than $32 million from the team since then. Trading him before June 1 would trigger a cap charge of more than $21 million.

A sixth-round pick in 2010, Brown quickly became one of the best players on the team, winning the franchise’s MVP award four times. He reportedly stormed out of practice and remained away from the team in the days preceding the regular-season finale. When he tried to show up and play in the Week 17 game against the Bengals, coach Mike Tomlin refused the offer.

More than a month ago, owner Art Rooney II made it clear that a trade is possible, if not likely. Since then, the Steelers have yet to get a trade offer that would prompt them to reach a tentative agreement that would be finalized on the first day of the league year in March.

For what it's worth, a source close to Brown told Schefter he believes the wideout is tired of playing the scapegoat for the Steelers' problems and wants to show he can thrive in another offense -- a notion lent further credence by today's developments.

Whatever the case, the drama in Pittsburgh is far from over. Steel yourself.