Pending knee surgery delaying Antonio Brown re-signing with Buccaneers

Antonio Brown’s agent told reporters three weeks ago that he had agreed to terms to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

During a Tuesday appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said Brown’s re-signing has been delayed due to a knee injury that requires surgery. 

“He has to pass the physical,” Arians said. “Hopefully we’ll have a scope on Tuesday, he’s getting his knee cleaned out, and everything will work out fine. It’s just a matter of a physical.”

It’s unclear why Brown didn’t undergo surgery following Super Bowl LV. He dealt with a knee injury throughout the postseason and missed the NFC Championship Game because of it. It’s possible he injured his knee further since the playoffs, but that’s unclear. 

The Buccaneers have been very open about their desire to bring Brown back alongside Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Arians confirmed as much during his interview on the Pewter Report Podcast:

“We wanted AB back,” Arians said. “He was a model citizen the whole time he’s been here. We wanted him back and he’s never had surgery in his life. It’s just a matter of [getting a] physical done. I wanted him back the whole time.”

The 32-year-old had a solid 2020 campaign in Tampa. In eight regular-season games, he caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns. In three playoff games, he caught eight passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, including five catches for 22 yards and a score against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.