Kevin Colbert on Antonio Brown Trade Discussions: 'Interest Has Grown'

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday that "interest has grown" over a potential trade involving wide receiver Antonio Brown.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Colbert added, "Ideally you'll like to trade him to someone you'd never play. But if a team comes through with the best compensation you have to weigh that."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Feb. 19 that Brown and agent Drew Rosenhaus met with Colbert, as well as Steelers owner Art Rooney II and executive Omar Khan. At that meeting, Schefter noted that a source told him "everyone agreed the trade will be for the best."

Brown has been the subject of trade speculation since the end of the regular season after a reported argument with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in practice led to Brown skipping subsequent practices and being inactive for Pittsburgh's Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After the season, Rooney told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it would be "hard to envision" Brown remaining with the Steelers in 2019.

Brown has been outspoken about his desire to move on, and he recently tweeted a goodbye message to Steelers fans:

The 30-year-old Brown has spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Steelers since they selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. With seven Pro Bowl nods and four first-team All-Pro selections to his credit, Brown stands as one of the biggest draft steals in NFL history.

In each of the past six seasons, Brown has caught at least 100 passes for 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns. He is coming off a bit of a down year in terms of receptions and yardage—with 104 grabs for 1,297 yards—but his 15 touchdowns were a career high and led the NFL.

With 837 receptions for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns in his career, Brown is second to only Hines Ward in every major receiving category in Steelers history.

While there is some level of risk attached to acquiring Brown since he is prone to creating distractions at times and carries a significant financial commitment (nearly $39 million over the next three years), he is undoubtedly one of the NFL's top wideouts and would provide a significant boost to the offense of whichever team that lands him.