Antonio Brown wants a new deal, but he isn't planning to hold out for more cash.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers wideout will report to training camp on Thursday, per a source.
Set to make $6.25 million this year, Brown's camp is "confident" the franchise will furnish him with a new contract, per Rapoport. The wideout made just $1 million last season as part of the six-year, $43 million pact he signed with the Steelers back in 2012.
Brown has outplayed that pact ever since, catching a whopping 376 receptions for 5,000-plus yards and 31 touchdowns over the past three seasons.
"If he was paid for dancing, he would be doing fine but he also catches footballs and Antonio Brown, from what I understand, is pretty confident right now that he will be compensated a little better for doing that," Rapoport said on NFL Network's Inside Training Camp Live. "... They know they have him at a reduced rate, at about $6 million this year, and from my understanding, he's confident a deal is going to get done."
Brown is signed through 2017, putting the timing of a potential new deal in question. The Steelers are hugged up against the salary cap, but Brown is hopeful something can get done before Week 1.
"The Steelers are really not in the business of completely redoing deals with that much time left," Rapoport said. "So maybe what they will do is kind of what the Seahawks did with Marshawn Lynch, which is take some money from 2017, move it into this year and make sure he's better compensated for at least 2016."
The Steelers cannot afford any Brown-related hiccups with running back Le'Veon Bell facing a four-game ban and wideout Martavis Bryant suspended indefinitely. As one of the finest skill players league-wide, Brown deserves more cash -- something Pittsburgh must deal with sooner than later.
