Antonio Brown Trade Rumors: Steelers Have 'No Issues' with $21M Dead Cap Hit

The dead cap hit that would come with trading wide receiver Antonio Brown reportedly won't be a deterrent for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the Steelers have "no issues" incurring the $21 million in dead cap that trading Brown would create.

Mortensen noted much of it would be offset by a $14.5 million cap credit the Steelers are owed in 2019 because running back Le'Veon Bell did not sign his franchise tender in 2018.

Brown didn't play in the Steelers' season-closing game against the Cincinnati Bengals after a reported dispute with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a team walkthrough.

Per Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brown skipped practices throughout the week following the incident.

The decision was then made to hold Brown out of the game. Pittsburgh won 16-13, but it missed the playoffs because of the Baltimore Ravens' 26-24 win over the Cleveland Browns.

On Tuesday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Brown had requested a trade.

When Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media Wednesday, however, he denied Brown had asked to be traded.

Brown has three years remaining on his contract, which could make him an attractive trade option for receiver-needy teams.

The 30-year-old veteran is a seven-time Pro Bowler who has caught more than 100 passes in six consecutive seasons. He finished 2018 with 104 grabs for 1,297 yards and a career-high and NFL-leading 15 touchdowns.

While Brown was highly productive, second-year wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster surpassed him for the team lead in both receptions and receiving yards.

Given Smith-Schuster's emergence, Brown is arguably more expendable than ever before. The Steelers will be looking to land an appealing package of draft picks and/or players in exchange for him.