Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters this week that Antonio Brown went missing in the days before the team's Week 17 matchup against the Bengals, which is why he wasn't active for the team's biggest game of the season. When asked if Brown quit on his team, Tomlin said to "call it what you want to."
There was speculation that Brown was upset that emerging star JuJu Smith-Schuster -- and not Brown -- had been named team MVP. But CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported on New Years Day that an incident at a midweek practice before the Bengals game was the catalyst for everything that followed.
The altercation that led Antonio Brown's benching last week was with Ben Roethlisberger. Im told it was fairly ugly and the WR was totally in the wrong. He went AWOL essentially for the 3rd time this season dating back to training camp
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 31, 2018
Former NFL receiver James Jones, now with NFL Network, floated another theory based on what he's heard from people in Pittsburgh.
"I have talked to a couple people in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization and they told me this has been lingering on," Jones said, via Pro Football Talk. "I've been told in meetings [Roethlisberger] would take shots at AB. Like, 'I don't got to throw you the ball,' and things like that. Wednesday in practice, I heard he ran the wrong route, Big Ben threw the ball on the ground, said, 'Get him out of here. Get somebody else in there,' and that's when AB was at his boiling point and that's when he went off."
This meshes with previous reporting from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
A source close to the situation told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Brown was upset about being asked to run a hot read again during a walk-through and later told Roethlisberger he felt under appreciated.
So why didn't Brown and Roethlisberger sort out their issues privately? Jones has a theory about that too.
"I do think it's hard to sit down and have a conversation with a man you do not respect or trust," he said.
On Tuesday, Roethlisberger made his weekly appearance on 93.7 The Fan to answer questions about the latest Brown-related drama. He called Brown "an incredible talent" and "one of my best friends on the team," and said that "If there was a blow-up [at practice], I sure didn't see it."
The quarterback said he talked to Brown on the Thursday morning before the Bengals game and "everything was great," but there had been no contact since.
"I called and texted and reached out numerous times and tried to find out what going on," Roethlisberger said, "but I really couldn't get any answers."
Meanwhile, La Canfora reported this week that Brown requested -- but not demanded -- a trade and that the wide receiver has issues with his quarterback and Tomlin. And PFT reports that Brown "currently is exploring his options," which include staying in Pittsburgh or trying to find his way onto one of the 31 other teams.
On Saturday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers are expected to consider trade requests for Brown prior to the start of free agency. According to Spotrac, a trade prior to March 17, would lead to the aforementioned $21.2 million cap hit in 2019 but it would lead to a 2019 cap savings of $1.05 million.
A year ago, the Steelers had just gone 13-3 in the regular season and were enjoying a first-round bye. Their biggest offseason concern was re-signing Le'Veon Bell, which seemed more likely to happen than not. Now, the team has missed the playoffs after a 7-2-1 start, Bell played his last game for Pittsburgh in last January's playoff loss to the Jaguars, and Brown may have played his last game for the team against the Saints in Week 16.