Packers reached out to Antonio Brown before Tom Brady stole him

The Green Bay Packers made a call to Antonio Brown but ultimately got rebuffed.

Despite some of the most concerning allegations you’ll ever see hanging on the end of his resume, Antonio Brown’s talent meant that teams were lining up to sign him once his suspension elapsed. While Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers eventually “won” the sweepstakes, Brown was almost paired up with Aaron Rodgers on the Green Bay Packers.

Adam Schefter confirmed on Pat McAfee’s show that the Packers did make a call to Brown as his suspension was close to being lifted, but nothing ever materialized.

Antonio Brown has the potential to be a terrific signing for Tampa Bay

While he would be guaranteed targets from a Hall of Fame quarterback in Green Bay, winters in his native Florida sound a lot better than winters in Wisconsin. Brown also received a vote of confidence from Brady, who moved heaven and earth to facilitate a move to Tampa Bay.

With No. 2 wide receiver Allen Lazard still banged up, the Packers are looking into getting a more reliable option on the outside instead of Equanimeous St. Brown or Darrius Shepherd. While they did put some feels out for Houston Texans receiver Will Fuller, it would take a substantial offer to make that a reality. Choosing to pick Jordan Love in the first round and a third-string running back in AJ Dillon in the second round instead of a receiver in the 2020 draft is coming back to bite them.

While Brown couldn’t get along with Ben Roethlisberger and Jon Gruden, Green Bay seems to think that Rodgers and Matt LaFleur would be able to corral him. We’ll never know if that would be the case, as Brady will try everything in his power to keep him under control.