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Steelers fans, what value are you looking to get for Antonio Brown?

What are you looking for, what would you take, and what do you do if a viable trade partner can’t be found?

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

With Antonio Brown announcing to the world he is ready to move on from Pittsburgh, it is time to look at what value he carries in the trade market. The value the Steelers can get in return and exactly what they’re looking for is all speculation at this point. So it is time for the BTSC community to do their own speculation and play General Manager for a day.

Here are the following three questions for users to answer in the comments. Remember the usual standards and guidelines for commenting apply, so if you disagree with someone else’s answers please be cordial in your disagreement. For each question, give an example of what you would realistically accept.

1.) What offer are you looking for first when approaching another team?

2.) What offer from another team would you be willing to accept?

3.) What would you do if no suitable offer is found through the 2019 draft?

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Remember that Antonio Brown‘s cap hit will be around $22 million if he is on the roster and about $21 million if he is not. Any team taking Brown would be paying around $15 million per season for his services (assuming they do not rework his contract). These numbers are approximate and are only here to reference in making your deal.

So I’ll start...

1.) Trade to Oakland for the 27th overall pick (from Dallas).

With the Raiders having three first round picks- the 4th, 24th, and 27th- asking for their third one would not be crazy. As a GM, I’m trying to sell it to Oakland that they are trading away the pick they received for Amari Cooper. So getting the Raiders to see they upgraded at wide receiver for free (with the exception of the difference in salary), could be a strong selling point.

2.) Trade to the Bills with our 20th pick for their 9th pick.

I believe the Steelers are looking for additional picks for AB, not to swap. But if a team wants to play “exchange picks” and it puts the Steelers in the top 10, I would take it. The 9th pick is the lowest I would take, and I would take any pick higher with all teams being an acceptable landing spot.

3.) If no trade partner is found, tell AB how he will conduct himself as we continue to find a trade partner in-season.

Cutting Brown would be one of the most disastrous decisions the Steelers could make. If no trade for AB can be found before/during the draft, the Steelers need to track Brown down in order to have the conversation he has avoided so far. In this conversation, you let AB know you will continue to look for a trade, but he must hold up his end of the deal. He must report on time to mandatory team requirements, conduct himself in an appropriate manner, and not do anything which could hurt his trade value. If he abides by these rules, the Steelers will continue to look for a trade through the trading deadline. If not, he’s stuck in Pittsburgh three more seasons while receiving suspensions and fines as his value on the open market tanks.

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Alright BTSC GM’s, what are you looking to get?