The Steelers have begun negotiating a contract with wide receiver Antonio Brown that would keep him in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career.
“We want Antonio to retire a Steeler for life,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told reporters on Thursday.
Colbert said getting a contract done with Brown was a “priority” in a year when running back Le’Veon Bell is likely to receive the franchise tag.
Brown posted a picture of himself with his agent Drew Rosenhaus in Pittsburgh on his Snapchat account earlier in the week, a sign Rosenhaus was in the area to talk about a new contract.
The Steelers appear to be making good on their promise to rework Brown’s contract In the offseason. They restructured his contract in August, advancing $4 million of his 2017 salary into his base salary for 2016.
Brown, 28, is considered one of the best receivers in the league and has been a key piece of the Steelers offense for the past several seasons. He has one year left on a five-year, $42 million contract he signed in 2012.
A 2010 sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan, Brown has been to five Pro Bowls and has earned three first-team All-Pro nods in his seven seasons. He led the league with 1,698 receiving yards in 2014.
He is the first player in Steelers history to finish with 1,000 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns in three straight seasons.
Brown drew the ire of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for posting a Facebook Live video of Tomlin’s postgame speech after a win against the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the incident appears to have been put to rest as the team moves into the offseason.
