Antonio Brown NFL Trade History

The Jets acquired Santonio Holmes for the 155th pick and received two productive seasons plus major 2010 playoff contributions. Pittsburgh then flipped that same pick to Arizona for cornerback Bryant McFadden and pick No. 195, which became Antonio Brown. Holmes was a worthwhile bargain for New York, but Brown developed into a four-time first-team All-Pro and one of the era's dominant receivers. The downstream value makes Pittsburgh the long-term winner.

Pittsburgh sent a fifth-round pick to Arizona and received cornerback Bryant McFadden plus the sixth-round selection used on Antonio Brown. McFadden returned as a starter, while Brown became a four-time first-team All-Pro and one of the most productive receivers of his era. Arizona selected John Skelton, who provided some quarterback starts but could not balance the return.

Pittsburgh salvaged meaningful value from a relationship with Antonio Brown that had become untenable, receiving 2019 third- and fifth-round picks from Oakland. The third-rounder became Diontae Johnson and the fifth became Zach Gentry, while Brown never played a regular-season snap for the Raiders. The Steelers did not receive peak-market value for an elite receiver, but converting a collapsing situation into two useful players became a decisive win.