NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Potential Antonio Brown Trade, Browns, Josh McDaniels

While roughly a third of the NFL is surging into the postseason, the rest of the league is making its way to the 2019 offseason. For the latter group of teams, the action isn't happening on the field, it's occurring behind the scenes and in the rumor mill.

One of the biggest rumors coming out of Week 17 is the one involving Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown and his desire to part with the team.

Brown, you see, got into some sort of altercation during the final week of practice, skipped the remainder of the week and was benched in the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Now, Brown could be on his way out of Pittsburgh.

Will Brown Stay or Will He Go?

ESPN's Adam Schefter recently said the following on SportsCenter (h/t Nick O'Malley of MassLive.com):

"I think the door to a trade has absolutely been opened. I think there are people who believe that Antonio Brown cannot come back to this team after what happened this past week and that there are many people who believe Antonio Brown in fact will be traded this offseason and that will be one of the main storylines to follow as we move forward here."

While moving Brown would be difficult because of his 2019 cap hit of $22 million, it wouldn't be impossible.

Of course, the Steelers would have to want to move Brown, and the organization has not given any indication that it wants to do so. Depending on which rumor you believe, Brown might not actually even want out.

"We haven't formally received a request in that regard, so I'm not gonna speculate," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, per Marcus White of NBC Sports.

Brown is one of the top receivers in the game, and if he does become available, it's going to shake up the entire 2019 offseason.

The Kitchen(s) Is Getting Hot

Interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens worked wonders with rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield and with the Cleveland Browns offense over the last half of the season. Naturally, other teams are now interested in hiring him.

Though Kitchens was never a playcaller before stepping into the Browns role, he comes across as the king of up-and-coming offensive minds that is all the rage in coaching searches these days.

However, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport has reported that Cleveland is not allowing Kitchens to interview with other teams, as he is still under contract:

The Browns are willing to give Kitchens his own interview for the head coaching job. They've also interviewed interim head coach Gregg Williams for the permanent role. However, it doesn't appear Cleveland will rush to a decision on its next hire. Former NFL head coaches like Mike McCarthy and Josh McDaniels have already been linked to the Browns, per the Associated Press (h/t the Province).

However, as Rapoport pointed out, the Browns appear very interested in keeping Kitchens on the coaching staff if at all possible. This makes sense, as developing Mayfield has to be top priority, and Kitchens has shown he can do that.

McDaniels and the AFC North

As mentioned, New England Patriots offensive coordinator McDaniels has had his name out there as a potential coaching candidate for the Browns. While they have not formally requested an interview, they have used "back channels" to show interest, according to Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository.

According to Doerschuk, the interest between McDaniels and Cleveland is mutual.

However, this doesn't mean McDaniels is eager to take just any head-coaching job in the AFC North or in Ohio. While the Cincinnati Bengals did request an interview with the former Denver Broncos head coach, McDaniels turned it down.

While it's unclear what criteria McDaniels is seeing in his next job, it's obvious that he's going to be picky. The fact he's interested in the Browns job and unwilling to even talk to the Bengals is an indication of where these two in-state rivals appear headed following the 2018 season.