Since no NFL team will take him on, Antonio Brown is craving attention.
After nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-18), the former sixth-round pick of the 2010 NFL Draft did not make the cut for the Las Vegas Raiders or New England Patriots.
Even in his attempt to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians shot the opportunity down immediately. Brown’s personality off the field caused issues for the Steelers and it boiled over into problems elsewhere. No one will look in his direction and regardless of the talent he has, general managers and coaches do not want Brown attached to their brand.
RELATED: Julio Jones’ career PFF WR grade will not shock you
While he’s achieved a lot in his career, the Miami (Fla.) native thought it be cool to take a shot at one of his peers.
Julio Jones is widely regarded as the best receiver in the league.
Like Brown, he has spent nine years in the NFL since 2011 – all with the Atlanta Falcons.
A former standout at Alabama, Jones was taken in the first-round (No. 6 overall) of the 2011 draft and is the face of the franchise. In an article from Complex on Sunday, Brown boldly stated he is ‘better’ than Jones and told the Falcons’ receiver to ‘look up the stats.’
With the jabs coming in from the Central Michigan product, let’s dive into the numbers.
Most 1,000-yard seasons (since 2010)
Antonio Brown: 7; 2011, 2013-18
Julio Jones: 7; 2012, 2014-19
Consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (since 2010)
Antonio Brown: 6; 2013-18
Julio Jones: 6; 2014-19
Consecutive 1,400-yard seasons (since 2010)
Julio Jones: 5; 2014-18
Antonio Brown: 4; 2013-15, 2017
Career receptions (since 2010)
Antonio Brown: 841
Julio Jones: 797
Difference = 44 catches
Career receiving yards (since 2010)
Julio Jones: 12,125
Antonio Brown: 11,263
Career touchdown catches (since 2010)
Antonio Brown: 75
Julio Jones: 57
Difference = 18
Career yards per catch average (2010)
Julio Jones: 15.2
Antonio Brown 13.4
Both players were voted to seven NFL Pro Bowls and were awarded first-team All-Pro honors more than once. Despite the advantage Brown has in touchdowns, it can be attributed to the lack of seeing Matt Ryan consistently targeting Jones in big games. Brown has yet to help a franchise appear in the Super Bowl and Jones did that for the Falcons in 2016.
The 2015 season was an incredible year for both guys and yet, Jones had more yards (1,871 to 1,834) and a better yards per catch average (13.8 to 13.5) than Brown. At the end of the day, Brown is not overwhelmingly better than Jones.
He has an edge in a couple of categories; however, Jones will surpass him if football is played in the fall.
For Brown, his main objective should be making an NFL roster.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
