Antonio Brown Names Ravens and Lamar Jackson as His Preferred Next Destination

Only weeks after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released him, wide receiver Antonio Brown has said where he would like to play next: Baltimore, with quarterback Lamar Jackson throwing him the ball.

Brown made the comments on the I Am Athlete podcast, which is hosted by former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Asked which quarterback he hoped to play with going forward, the former Pro Bowler answered, "Lamar Jackson," and added, "Action Jackson. Let's give Lamar Jackson his flowers."

A clip of the exchange spread quickly on social media. Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, responded himself with an emoji signaling his enthusiasm about the prospect of Brown joining the Ravens.

Brown has already caught passes from two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady. Explaining what draws him to Jackson, he said: "Lamar Jackson is a great quarterback. Not only him throwing the ball, but the dynamic of him playing, the excitement."

The two have floated the idea of a partnership before. In April 2020, Jackson and Brown worked out together, with Ravens receiver Marquise Brown, Antonio Brown's cousin, also on hand. Jackson said publicly at the time that he hoped Baltimore would sign the receiver. "I'd be happy if they signed him," Jackson said. "He's a great player. He showed it each and every year when he was with the Steelers in the past, but it's not my decision."

The Ravens reportedly kept weighing a move for Brown through the 2020 offseason, but no deal came together. Brown was later suspended eight games for multiple violations of the NFL's conduct policy, and then signed with Tampa Bay, where he played a key part in the Buccaneers' run to the Super Bowl.

He re-signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year contract ahead of this season. The 33-year-old opened the year strongly and was Tampa Bay's most productive receiver over the first six weeks. An ankle injury then sidelined him for multiple weeks, and just as he was nearing a return he received a three-game suspension for violating the league's COVID-19 protocols by submitting a fake vaccination card.

Brown came back in Week 16 and posted a season-high 10 catches for 101 yards in a blowout win over Carolina. A week later against the Jets, however, he took off his jersey and shoulder pads in the third quarter after arguing with head coach Bruce Arians and ran off the field, in one of the strangest exits in NFL history. The Buccaneers officially released him four days later.

Brown is now a free agent. In a statement issued through his attorneys, he said Arians cut him after he declined to return to the game against the Jets because of the same ankle injury that had kept him out earlier in the season. He said he intends to have surgery on the ankle and plans to return to football next season.