The Antonio Brown era in New England lasted all but 11 days — and it seems unlikely that more time will be added in the future. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Patriots will not bring back the wide receiver who has remained on the open market ever since the team released him on September 20. There have been rumors about a potential reunion, but according to Howe’s sources the Patriots have indeed moved on.
After New England brought the highly talented wide receiver on board following his release by the Oakland Raiders, he appeared in one game for the club and caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. While his early chemistry with Tom Brady looked promising, a new series of allegations — including Brown sending harassing texts to a woman accusing him of sexual assault — led New England to cut ties with its new receiver.
Brown went on a Twitter tirade against team owner Robert Kraft following his release, but later reversed course and ultimately apologized to Kraft, who reportedly was the driving force behind the release even though the decision was made jointly by him and head coach/general manager Bill Belichick, earlier this week. However, it seems as if the ship has unsurprisingly sailed on a return to Foxborough.