Antonio Brown Trade Rumors: Packers 'Were In' on WR Before Reported Bills Deal

NFL fans reportedly almost had the chance to watch Antonio Brown catching passes from Aaron Rodgers next season.

According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, the Green Bay Packers "were in on" Brown as a potential trade target and "looking to make moves."

They apparently couldn't land him, though, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported late Thursday night Pittsburgh was "closing in on" moving Brown to the Buffalo Bills. However, Vic Carucci of Sirius XM cited a source who said the Buffalo trade was not "imminent" and another who called it "unlikely."

Green Bay missed the playoffs the last two seasons and is trying to catch up to the Chicago Bears, who featured the league's top defense in points allowed in 2018. Brown is the type of game-breaker who could put up numbers even against that stout Chicago group and give Rodgers, 35, another elite playmaker in the closing stretch of his career.

Brown is a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro who surpassed 1,200 receiving yards in each of the last six seasons. He also tallied a career-high 15 touchdown receptions at 30 years old.

Pairing that production with Davante Adams' would have given the Packers arguably the league's top one-two receiver punch.

Instead, this reported trade gives Bills quarterback Josh Allen a legitimate No. 1 option as Buffalo looks to close the gap with the defending champion New England Patriots in the AFC East.

Brown's presence will also create additional running room for LeSean McCoy, as defenses won't be able to stack the box with the game-breaker on the outside.

While the Brown and McCoy combination is intriguing, the receiver would have been in a far more dynamic situation had the Packers parlayed their interest into an actual trade.