Not that long ago, it seemed the sky was the limit for Antonio Brown. He was a superstar on the field, a seven-time Pro Bowler (2011, 2013-2018), and the most feared wide receiver in the NFL with a Super Bowl ring on his finger. At his peak, he was catching over 100 passes a season, racking up yards at a historic pace, and cashing checks as the highest paid receiver in the league. Brown had it all: talent, fame, fortune, and he wasn't shy about letting the world know it.
Under normal circumstances, at this point, the 36-year-old should be deep into his golden years, rounding out a Hall of Fame caliber career, enjoying endorsement deals, media gigs, and the kind of generational wealth that comes with signing several enormous NFL contracts.
Unfortunately, with Antonio Brown, there is no such thing as normal circumstances. The last few years have been a spiral of chaos and bizarre incidents, including confrontations with coaches, lawsuits, suspensions, social media meltdowns, a bankruptcy filing, and now a warrant for attempted murder. This is the story of how Antonio Brown went from NFL icon to cautionary tale, and how a huge chunk of NFL earnings seemingly disappeared.
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The Money He Made
As a sixth-round pick, his initial NFL salary was $320,000, plus a $73,075 signing bonus. Brown's strong play earned him a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension, which the Steelers offered in 2012.
Brown produced his most successful seasons while on that deal. From 2013-18, his season averages were 114 catches, 1,524 yards, and 11 touchdowns. That would be impressive enough as a single campaign. Brown achieved those numbers six years in a row as the Steelers perennially reached the playoffs.
In 2017, the Steelers gave Brown a four-year, $68 million extension. However, Brown only played two more seasons in Pittsburgh, so he only made about half of that money.
We'll go more into Brown's additional stops below, but he was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a third and fifth-round draft pick in 2019. Over the next year and a half, he only played in one game out of a possible 24 regular-season contests.
Despite a ton of previous drama, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Brown to a contract for the second half of the 2020 season. The deal was worth $2.5 million, which would be earned largely via incentives. Brown's base salary was a mere $750,000.
Brown made it through that 2020 season without incident, winning a championship with the rest of the team while scoring two touchdowns in the Super Bowl. The Bucs brought him back for the 2021 season on a one-year deal worth up to $6.25 million.
Brown's career earnings, including the 2021 season, come to…
$80.5 million
The Money He Lost
The 2019 season was particularly brutal for Brown. On December 30, 2018, he was benched during the Steelers' Week 17 win after fighting with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Brown reportedly threw a football at Roethlisberger. Two and a half months later, the Steelers traded Brown to the Oakland Raiders, who signed him to a three-year, $50 million deal. But Brown's time in Oakland was short-lived.
During the summer, Brown used a cryotherapy machine without the proper footwear. As a result, he experienced foot issues from the extreme cold. He also left a practice early when he couldn't wear his helmet of choice. He reportedly threatened to retire, filed grievances, and spray-painted his old helmet.
A month later, he missed additional practice and training camp. The team fined him, and it led to a confrontation with Raiders GM Mike Mayock. Brown followed that confrontation up with an Instagram post asking to be released, and the Raiders obliged. Because of the whole situation with the team and Mayock, Brown's contract was voided—he earned none of the $30 million in guaranteed money.
Brown then joined the New England Patriots on a one-year, $15 million contract (with a $9 million signing bonus), grabbing four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in his debut. But after two sexual assault allegations arose against Brown, the Patriots released him.
For a while, it looked like Brown would only earn a single game check of $158,333. However, the receiver and team eventually came to an agreement, and Brown received $5 million.
On July 30, 2020, the NFL suspended Brown for eight games—half of a season—from a January arrest. Brown initially was charged with felony assault and battery of a moving company truck driver; the charges ultimately handed down included burglary of a vehicle, misdemeanor battery, and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
Despite that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Brown to a contract for the rest of the 2020 season. Bucs coach Bruce Arians told reporters at the time: "He screws up one time, he's gone."
On December 2, 2021, Brown's personal chef accused the receiver of providing a fake vaccination card to the league. The NFL investigated and suspended him for three games for lying about his vaccination status.
Then came what may be the most famously bizarre moment of his career. In January 2022, during a game against the New York Jets, Brown abruptly left the field in the middle of the third quarter. He removed his jersey, tossed his shirt and gloves into the crowd, and jogged into the locker room while waving to fans. Brown later claimed the team had tried to force him to play while injured, but the spectacle marked the end of his time with the Buccaneers.
The exit was costly. By leaving the team before the season ended, Brown fell just short of three separate performance bonuses, each worth $333,333. He missed the thresholds by the slimmest of margins: eight receptions, 55 receiving yards, and one touchdown. In total, his mid-game walkout likely cost him nearly $1 million.
Brown also forfeited $577,460 in fines due to a number of transgressions during his career. Some were from the NFL for various touchdown celebrations, taunts, and cleating, but Brown's teams have fined him, too. The Steelers fined him for unsportsmanlike conduct and an equipment violation, and the Raiders fined him for the confrontation with Mayock and for not participating in an August walkthrough practice. The Bucs also fined him as part of the vaccination ruse.
By our math, Brown's action cost him $55.7 million during his time in the NFL. Most of that money has come since the end of the 2018 season—potentially $50 million from the Raiders, $4 million from the Patriots, and $1 million from the Buccaneers.
Recent Controversies & Bankruptcy Filing
Brown never played another NFL down after his dramatic exit in New York. And the last few years, his bizarre antics have not abated. He launched a short-lived rap career, releasing a 2022 album titled "Paradigm" and performing at music festivals, often grabbing attention more for his chaotic stage behavior and wardrobe choices than the music itself.
He briefly became the owner of the Albany Empire, an indoor football team, but the franchise quickly fell into disarray amid accusations that Brown failed to pay players, coaches, and vendors. The team was expelled from the league.
Brown also faced a steady stream of lawsuits, debt claims, and headline-grabbing social media meltdowns. In 2024, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida, disclosing just $50,000 in assets and nearly $3 million in liabilities.
Then came perhaps the most serious development of all. In May 2025, Brown was involved in a violent altercation outside an amateur boxing match in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood. According to eyewitnesses and security footage, Brown punched a man during a dispute, prompting others to join the melee. Footage reviewed by investigators allegedly shows Brown taking a firearm from a security guard and firing two shots. One of the bullets reportedly grazed the man's neck. Brown initially claimed he was the victim of an attempted robbery, but police say surveillance footage and physical evidence tell a different story. On June 12, 2025, a judge signed an arrest warrant charging Brown with attempted second-degree murder.
If convicted, Brown faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison due to Florida's firearm enhancement laws.
Once considered one of the most electrifying wide receivers of his generation, Antonio Brown now finds himself millions of dollars in debt, facing serious prison time, and completely estranged from the league that once made him a superstar.
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