Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; NFL free agent Antonio Brown attends in the third quarter in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

To the surprise of very few people, Antonio Brown does not expect to play in the NFL in 2022. He said it himself during an interview that took place at a Fan Controlled Football game.

“Obviously, we live the game, but you can’t play forever,” Brown said. “I think I’m a great player that’s done everything in the game.”

Asked if he would play in the NFL in 2022, Brown said, “Nah, don’t play yourself looking at me to play.”

Brown made headlines last week when he said that he wanted to retire from the NFL as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s probably a safe assumption that the Steelers didn’t exactly rush out to associate themselves with him again, given the way his time ended with them as well as how his time ended with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Despite putting up big stats over his career and continuing to be a solid receiver, Brown is persona non grata in NFL circles and it’s hard to imagine any NFL team wanted to risk a contract on him, especially given the way things blew up in Tampa and he’s conducted himself since.

Brown also has yet to undergo surgery on his injured ankle that was at the center of his blowup with Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians. He has said previously that he wanted a commitment from an NFL team before he made surgery plans.

No surprise but plenty of people around the NFL world had thoughts on Brown’s announcement, most of which were around the fact that there was “no surprise.”

All of that said, we’re guessing we haven’t heard from Brown and his opinions for the last time.

[PFT]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.