Antonio Brown hints at retirement plans, and they involve the Steelers

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As it turns out, you may not have seen the last of Antonio Brown.

Brown remains a free agent after his controversial and very public breakup with the Buccaneers during the 2021 season. If he has his wishes, though, he might not be unavailable much longer.

On May 16, Brown tweeted that he wants to retire a Pittsburgh Steeler, with a small caveat:

"Just wanna Retire A Steeler," Brown tweeted. He also clarified in a later tweet:

"Not Play Jus (sic) Retire so we Clear," a follow-up tweet said.

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There are some questions to be raised here: Does Brown want to retire now? Does he want to play elsewhere in the immediate future and then retire later on?

Brown spent nine seasons in Pittsburgh before forcing a trade to the Raiders following the 2018 season. He would later be released during the offseason, not playing a single game in the silver and black, and landing in New England alongside Tom Brady in 2019. He would reunite with Brady in Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.

Earlier in the offseason, Brown hinted that he wanted to play with the Ravens. Baltimore could use the wide receiver help, though it's unclear if Pittsburgh's AFC North rival would add a player with Brown's reputation to the fold.

One thing that isn't unclear: Brown wants to be a Steeler for at least one more day.

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Joe Rivera is a senior content producer at The Sporting News and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater, Rutgers University.