Sources: Seattle Seahawks one of teams looking at Antonio Brown
Both of Seattle's quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Geno Smith, are friends with Brown, worked out with him during the offseason and have remained in touch with him about the idea of bringing him to Seattle, sources said. The organization is intrigued by the idea of matching Brown with an MVP candidate like Wilson in an offense that already is as potent as any in the league.
However, other teams also have expressed interest, and Seattle and Brown have not started official contract talks, making a Seattle match not a lock. There has been more and more activity around Brown in recent days, and teams are positioning themselves to make a move so that the wide receiver is ready to play as soon as he's reinstated.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, when asked about the report, said the team has "endeavored to be in on everything that's going on," adding that general manager John Schneider "has done a marvelous job of always being tuned into what's happening, and this is no exception."
"So we'll see what happens as we go forward, but we're tuned into what's happening there," Carroll said.
The NFL suspended Brown for eight games without pay for multiple violations of the league's personal conduct policy, the league announced in July.
Brown had been the subject of an NFL investigation after an accusation of sexual misconduct at his home by an artist who was working there in 2017. He also pleaded no contest in June to a felony burglary with battery charge and two lesser misdemeanor charges related to a January incident with a moving truck company outside his home in Hollywood, Florida.
The NFL also continues to investigate a lawsuit filed by Brown's former athletic trainer, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by him.
Carroll was asked how much digging is needed on Brown given his troubles off the field and with his previous teams.
"We're nowhere there right now, so let's wait and see what happens and all that," he said. "But we do all of the homework we can think of doing. We will never think that we can leave a stone unturned. That's how we approach everything, so we'll continue to do that here."
The Seahawks already have a strong wide receiver corps with DK Metcalf (496) and Tyler Lockett (342) on pace through five games to top 1,000 yards. They have David Moore in the No. 3 role, and Phillip Dorsett is on his way back from injured reserve, having returned to practice this week. Josh Gordon, meanwhile, is on their reserve/suspended list while awaiting his reinstatement by the NFL.
Carroll said Seattle's interest in Brown is not connected to Gordon.
"All I can tell you is we're in on everything," he said. "We know about Josh's situation as well and we'll take them as they come kinda and hopefully we're really well prepared to make the right choices and figure out how it fits and all that kind of stuff, so those situations are not connected. They're handled independently."
Carroll said the Seahawks weren't sure about the timeline for Gordon's reinstatement from his indefinite suspension when they signed him in early September. He was asked if the team has been given any reason for the holdup with Gordon, given that the NFL has reinstated other players and, in Brown's case, set a specific number of games for their suspensions.
"No, everybody is in their own cycle," Carroll said. "Each one is considered independent of the others and the decisions are made by the league and we really don't know and don't have contact to speak of, so we don't know any more than really you do at this point. We're just waiting it out for word from the league unfortunately."
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