Antonio Brown threatens Steelers after they give away his number

Antonio Brown is...a lot. AB is often separated from reality some, a split that started long ago towards the tail end of his Steelers career, when Brown requested a trade out of Pittsburgh to win a Super Bowl...with the Raiders.

It's not that Brown wasn't well-intentioned then, but he can't separate his ego from the truth. Brown was never going to win a Super Bowl in Oakland, but he was lucky enough to befriend Tom Brady, who eventually brought him to New England and then Tampa Bay, where he won his first and only championship. Then he even ruined that relationship.

On Thursday, the Steelers revealed numbers for their new signings. As is the case in professional sports, those numbers used to belong to other players -- perhaps even some fan favorites. Cordarrelle Patterson chose No. 84, which hasn't been worn since Brown donned it in 2018. AB wasn't thrilled.

Brown went on to question why the Steelers have only retired three numbers. He's right about that, as the only official retired numbers in Pittsburgh are 75 (worn by Joe Greene), 70 (worn by Ernie Stautner) and 32 (worn by Franco Harris). Brown argued that even more players from those 70's Steelers deserve their numbers in the rafters, as well as greats he played with such as Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers will never retire Antonio Brown's number

If you ask Brown, though, he belongs in that exclusive group, which couldn't be further from the truth. It's not that Brown wasn't talented enough. At his peak, Brown was the best wide receiver in football by a landslide and one of the greatest route runners I've ever seen. However, his eventual trade demand, off-field struggles as well as beefs with former teammates and the organization itself have killed his chances.

Retired numbers aren't as frequent in the NFL as in other sports. A spot in Canton doesn't guarantee that any player will be immortalized as a Steeler.

Brown was a Hall-of-Fame talent who unfortunately flamed out far too soon. That's how he'll be remembered. Not as a Steeler. Not as a Raider. Not with his own bust in Canton, either.