The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is over, but if you think the news surrounding the black-and-gold is over — think again. For the drama-filled Steelers, things are just heating up, and this is where the daily links article comes in. You might have missed some key news, and we fill you in and give you the latest, and sometimes greatest, news surrounding the Steelers.

Today in the Black-and-gold links article we take a look at how it is being reported the Pittsburgh Steelers were planning on trading Antonio Brown well before his most recent Twitter tirade(s).

Let’s get to the news:

Steelers Planned to Deal WR Before Trade Request

By: Adam Wells, Beacher Report

Antonio Brown’s trade request earlier this week did not catch the Pittsburgh Steelers off guard.

Per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers had already determined they were going to explore trade possibilities for their disgruntled wide receiver.

Brown’s trade request came after he posted a cryptic message on Twitter, thanking Steelers fans for their support over the past nine seasons

The saga involving the Steelers and Brown seemingly began leading up to a Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown refused to practice following a dispute with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and was benched for the game, per Bouchette and Gerry Dulac.

Steelers president Art Rooney II told Dulac last month it would be “hard to envision” Brown returning to the team next season.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown will meet with Rooney in person to discuss the situation.

If the Steelers do trade Brown, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler cited one NFL general manager who said the team would likely want a first-round draft pick in return.

(To read more, click the link in the headline of the article...)

Mark Madden: Antonio Brown only thinks he runs the Steelers

By: Mark Madden, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

As we brace for the summit meeting between the man who owns the Pittsburgh Steelers and the man who thinks he owns the Steelers, the question begs: Is Antonio Brown’s behavior carefully calculated to ramrod his way out of Pittsburgh, or is he just nuts?

Here’s betting the latter, because some things Brown did to perhaps force the issue have been clearly counterproductive.

Brown liked two tweets that referred to rape accusations made against Ben Roethlisberger in 2009 and ’10. Brown also tweeted that Roethlisberger has an “owner mentality.” (It’s actually a quarterback mentality.)

Brown accused coach Mike Tomlin of telling his teammates he quit. This was right after Brown stopped showing up the week before the Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. So Brown did quit. (Tomlin apparently was supposed to keep that secret.)

By insulting Roethlisberger and Tomlin, Brown might think that makes it impossible for the Steelers to keep him.

But it also makes it more difficult for the Steelers to trade Brown. What’s to keep Brown from turning on his next quarterback or next coach? The quarterbacks and coaches see that, and it trickles up to GMs and owners.

The Steelers won’t let Brown go for peanuts, and they shouldn’t.

Owner Art Rooney II probably hasn’t dismissed the notion of Brown returning. If he had, he wouldn’t be meeting with Brown, a proposition Rooney doubtless would find distasteful if he didn’t have an agenda.

Rooney doesn’t need mere closure. Rooney needs to see this end favorably for his franchise.

Rooney also doesn’t want Brown to force his way off the Steelers. He rightly sees that as a bad precedent.

But would he make Brown sit a year to prove it?

Le’Veon Bell did, and he’s still not gone.

Las Vegas sports books list the Arizona Cardinals as the team Brown most likely will play for in 2019. But the Steelers are second-favorite. Vegas gets it.

It’s an excrement show, and it’s all Brown’s fault. Every single bit of it.

Ignore Brown’s manipulations, especially the black/white dynamic he lamely tries to inject. No one ever has been less accountable in the history of that word’s definition than Brown in Pittsburgh, though he certainly has been enabled.

Anything besides Brown leaving Pittsburgh seems inconceivable.

But much still is to be decided.

Brown thinks he’s in control of the situation, as evidenced by him announcing his departure from Pittsburgh on Twitter despite having three years left on his contract with the Steelers.

Brown only can leave the Steelers if they let him. He’s an employee, just like the rest.

But Brown is treating the situation like free agency. He posted a poll on Instagram asking fans where he should play next.

It’s not a stretch to imagine Brown demanding that the Steelers trade him where he wants to go or not trade him where he doesn’t.

How the Steelers perceive themselves weighs into the scenario. Is their Super Bowl window still open?

The unavailability of Bell, Brown and Ryan Shazier argues otherwise. The presence of Roethlisberger lends optimism, however false.

Roethlisberger gives the Steelers a puncher’s chance but not a realistic one. Rooney might be better advised to make regaining control of his franchise and locker room a bigger priority than chasing a Super Bowl pipe dream.

(To read more, click the link in the headline of the article...)

NFL reacts to Antonio Brown trade request: Let recruiting begin

By: Staff, ESPN

Antonio Brown would like to find a new NFL home, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, requesting a trade after nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL Twitter had plenty to say on the matter, from advice for the star receiver to sales pitches even though Brown is not totally in charge of where he lands since he likely will be traded.

(To read more, click the link in the headline of the article...)