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Antonio Brown is arguably the league’s best receiver. Now, he’s going to get paid like it.
On Monday, the Steelers signed Brown to a new five-year contract, which will keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2021 season. Browns’ contract was set to expire after the 2017 season, so this can also be viewed as a four-year extension.
According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, the deal is worth nearly $73 million.
And that means Brown is now the NFL’s highest-paid receiver. Bengals receiver A.J. Green led the league with $15 million per season, but Browns’ four-year extension means he’s getting $17 million per season.
Clearly, he’s worth the investment. In 2016, Brown caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Since he entered the league in 2010 as a sixth-round pick (seriously), Brown has gone on to rack up the second most receiving yards (8,377) -- only Calvin Johnson, who retired a year ago, has more. He’s also caught 50 touchdowns in that span, which is the 10th highest total.
