NOLA Saints should avoid Antonio Brown like the plague

Coronavirus isn’t the only thing the New Orleans Saints should be masking up for. If Antonio Brown shows up at their doorstep, stay six feet (or more) away.

Wherever Brown goes, dark clouds follow.

There’s the benching incident with the Steelers. The helmet incident with the Raiders. The sexual assault allegations that caused him to be released by the Patriots. And finally, the bizarre mid-game stripping incident with Tampa after which Bruce Arians stated that Brown was “no longer a Buc.”

A Twitter user keenly pointed out that Mike Tomlin tolerating Antonio Brown for nine seasons is one of the great coaching achievements in NFL history. It’s true.

The fact that even Arians and Tom Brady, one of the most stabilizing duos in football, could not keep a leash on Brown speaks volumes.

Despite Brown’s long and riddled history of controversy, there’s been reports that Brown could still find an NFL team for 2022.

How many second, third, fourth, and fifth chances will Brown get?

At the time of this writing, Tampa hasn’t officially released Brown and may not for the rest of the season, ensuring that no other team can use him in 2021.

New Orleans Saints will only be tainted by Brown’s history of controversy

Still, Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports proposed four teams that may have Brown on their radar for next year, including the New Orleans Saints.

With Michael Thomas likely coming back in 2022, the Saints will be looking for a WR2 or WR3 to pad their very pitiful receiver room. Marquez Callaway continues to show glimpses of promise, but the team can’t expect that much from the formerly undrafted free agent.

New Orleans seems to especially drawn to picking up veteran wide receivers, signing names like Kenny Stills and Chris Hogan this year. Neither signing panned out.

Antonio Brown would be by far the most talented veteran wideout the Saints bring in, but also the most volatile and the most likely to burn the franchise to the ground.

Yes, he’s enjoyed multiple 1,500-plus-yard seasons, yes, he’s earned Pro Bowl and All Pro honors quite a few times, and somewhere deep inside his mentally unhinged state there may actually be a good person.

Brown’s history, though, tells all the Saints need to know: stay away. And maybe encourage him to get help.

Brown worked out for the Saints back in 2019, but he called the whole thing a publicity stunt.

That incident isn’t lost upon Sean Payton, who probably won’t give Brown and his hot-headed ego another chance.

Brown being Brown may want to join the Saints for one particular reason: they’re Tampa Bay’s division rivals, and he wants two opportunities a year to give the bird to Arians.

Out of all places, New Orleans has enough trouble dealing with natural disasters that they don’t need to create one in their own locker room.

Brown can take his circus somewhere else.