Antonio Brown quit on his team mid game by refusing to respond to orders to take the field while dealing with a week-to-week ankle injury.

Michael Thomas quit on his team in the offseason for a year by refusing to have surgery for a major ankle injury or return phone calls or take appointments to check on the status of his attempted rehab without surgery.

Both players had ankle injuries. Both players coaches tried to reach them to assure their availability to play. Both players ghosted their coaches and made themselves unavailable with no explanation. Both players delayed a recommended medical treatment for a few months leading to their unavailability in the season, though Thomas was not creative enough to photoshop a document saying he had the surgery in February. It just happens Antonio Brown's disappearing act was a couple offensive possessions that led to missing about half a game, and Thomas' disappearing act was an entire offseason that led to missing an entire regular season. Also, Brown pulled his antics on a cheap prove-it contract after winning a Super Bowl and Thomas pulled his antics in the second year of a record setting contract when he was his teams only viable wide receiver with a new QB coming in.

It seems to me that some people take Michael Thomas' return next season as a given and others are highly skeptical, while most feel Antonio Brown should be done in the NFL but a few feel he could be worth a shot on a cheap contract knowing the risks. I am skeptical that Thomas will return and Brown won't. I feel like both players are similar risks for next year, or would like either on a cheap prove it contract, but hate that we have so much money tied up in Thomas with all the risk he has become. I know Thomas is younger so he has more upside if he becomes reliable again, but also his injury is worse and his bad conduct is more premeditated.

Ironically, one possible upside to signing Antonio Brown could be if he influences Michael Thomas to make more bad decisions, then we could get out of Michael Thomas' contract. Bunk him with Thomas and Peat please.

You do bring up a good point - MT's return from the ankle next season is not a given to me. Because of what we've seen so far, a part of me worries this becomes a career-ending ankle injury. That sounds very unusual, but given how much trouble the injury and recovery has been already, who knows? The odds seem like 1 in a million that an ankle would end his career, but a little part of me worries. Hopefully I'm overthinking it and they finally are treating this injury properly.

Here is a comparison that may or may not be apt. I was all for the Saints Landing OBJ when he was available a few weeks back. As it turns out the Rams got him and he is doing very well there. OBJ seem like he was having problems in Cleveland and obviously wanted out and obviously they were more
than willing to accommodate him.

So, why is Brown so different? it’s obvious when you look at the list of “great” wide receivers through the leagues history there are more than a fair share of divas that have required special attention and demanded special recognition. Owens, Irvin, Keshawn Johnson, Steve Smith are just a few examples. There have also been guys like Rice and Calvin Johnson that just quietly got the job done. But having a Calvin Johnson type makeup is not unusual at all. Brown is not in legal trouble I believe (haven’t heard latest on his COVID passport). He apparently had issue with his coach. He’s hardly the first player to have that happen.

I think Its unlikely that Michael Thomas will never play another snap. But I worry that when he comes back, the chronic injury issue and the unpredictable personality issue create a double threat to make his return brief and costly. The injury has been hard to heal so he could become the next cameron meredith or titan julio jones. Maybe Terrelle Pryor is another good analogy of a promising younger receiver whose career imploded after an ankle injury. But it seems like he has created more drama than AB had at a similar stage in their careers so he could also go the AB route. Combine the two and its also possible a bad attitude makes MT not want to rehab the best from injuries and the combination makes him an OBJ type who could be lightning in a bottle if he happens to be healthy and the franchise faces no adversity to sap his motivation, but paying about 20 million a year for lightning that mostly stays in the bottle is a bad value. I just hope we dont sign MT to any creative restructurings to free up money now that end up making the cap hit $50 million if he has to go later. Lets not tie up an extra cent and lets pay for this gamble year to year not use financing tricks to set a trap for ourselves in the future.

What chronic injury issue? What personality issue? If you guys want to play whats the worse that can happen or a big what if ok. Can we please stop making up stories with zero validity. Alot of you if not all of you jumped off board as soon as you found out he didnt get the surgery for reasons unknown. Now MT is a bad apple that might not be worth the bite? Youu guys said Cam Jordan was done you guys said MWilliams wasnt a playmaker in this league you guys said MDavenport was a bust......you see the pattern here topics make for good Saints gossip but thats about it the accuracy is far worse than Taysom Hill. He gets one ankle injury now we are questioning the career? what the hell is this? Didnt we try the AB thing out a year or two ago before the bucs? Who going to get him the ball? A WR rn does not change the Saints with Oline help and a decent QB not named Taysom Hill....Put some respect on MT you weren't crying when he went out there and played on bad ankle for Drew who threw the post season away with TO vs the Bucs. You guys think some of the players we have are that easily replaceable you are kidding yourself MT unless he requests trade is here and will be ready to next season have some d@mn optimism the same optimism you had thinking Drew would come back and play. Where is the reality Saints Forum Fantasy Island is little too much

Yes but it’s Browns track record that makes it look so bad. Every player disagrees with their coach, and some vocalize it but all the guys you listed above didn’t walk off the field the way Brown did. I would go so far as to say Browns history is worse than any of the above. This goes beyond antics.

What chronic injury issue? What personality issue? If you guys want to play whats the worse that can happen or a big what if ok. Can we please stop making up stories with zero validity. Alot of you if not all of you jumped off board as soon as you found out he didnt get the surgery for reasons unknown. Now MT is a bad apple that might not be worth the bite? Youu guys said Cam Jordan was done you guys said MWilliams wasnt a playmaker in this league you guys said MDavenport was a bust......you see the pattern here topics make for good Saints gossip but thats about it the accuracy is far worse than Taysom Hill. He gets one ankle injury now we are questioning the career? what the hell is this? Didnt we try the AB thing out a year or two ago before the bucs? Who going to get him the ball? A WR rn does not change the Saints with Oline help and a decent QB not named Taysom Hill....Put some respect on MT you weren't crying when he went out there and played on bad ankle for Drew who threw the post season away with TO vs the Bucs. You guys think some of the players we have are that easily replaceable you are kidding yourself MT unless he requests trade is here and will be ready to next season have some d@mn optimism the same optimism you had thinking Drew would come back and play. Where is the reality Saints Forum Fantasy Island is little too much

What chronic injury issue? What personality issue? If you guys want to play whats the worse that can happen or a big what if ok. Can we please stop making up stories with zero validity. Alot of you if not all of you jumped off board as soon as you found out he didnt get the surgery for reasons unknown. Now MT is a bad apple that might not be worth the bite? Youu guys said Cam Jordan was done you guys said MWilliams wasnt a playmaker in this league you guys said MDavenport was a bust......you see the pattern here topics make for good Saints gossip but thats about it the accuracy is far worse than Taysom Hill. He gets one ankle injury now we are questioning the career? what the hell is this? Didnt we try the AB thing out a year or two ago before the bucs? Who going to get him the ball? A WR rn does not change the Saints with Oline help and a decent QB not named Taysom Hill....Put some respect on MT you weren't crying when he went out there and played on bad ankle for Drew who threw the post season away with TO vs the Bucs. You guys think some of the players we have are that easily replaceable you are kidding yourself MT unless he requests trade is here and will be ready to next season have some d@mn optimism the same optimism you had thinking Drew would come back and play. Where is the reality Saints Forum Fantasy Island is little too much

What chronic injury issue? What personality issue? If you guys want to play whats the worse that can happen or a big what if ok. Can we please stop making up stories with zero validity. Alot of you if not all of you jumped off board as soon as you found out he didnt get the surgery for reasons unknown. Now MT is a bad apple that might not be worth the bite? Youu guys said Cam Jordan was done you guys said MWilliams wasnt a playmaker in this league you guys said MDavenport was a bust......you see the pattern here topics make for good Saints gossip but thats about it the accuracy is far worse than Taysom Hill. He gets one ankle injury now we are questioning the career? what the hell is this? Didnt we try the AB thing out a year or two ago before the bucs? Who going to get him the ball? A WR rn does not change the Saints with Oline help and a decent QB not named Taysom Hill....Put some respect on MT you weren't crying when he went out there and played on bad ankle for Drew who threw the post season away with TO vs the Bucs. You guys think some of the players we have are that easily replaceable you are kidding yourself MT unless he requests trade is here and will be ready to next season have some d@mn optimism the same optimism you had thinking Drew would come back and play. Where is the reality Saints Forum Fantasy Island is little too much

What chronic injury issue? What personality issue? If you guys want to play whats the worse that can happen or a big what if ok. Can we please stop making up stories with zero validity. Alot of you if not all of you jumped off board as soon as you found out he didnt get the surgery for reasons unknown. Now MT is a bad apple that might not be worth the bite? Youu guys said Cam Jordan was done you guys said MWilliams wasnt a playmaker in this league you guys said MDavenport was a bust......you see the pattern here topics make for good Saints gossip but thats about it the accuracy is far worse than Taysom Hill. He gets one ankle injury now we are questioning the career? what the hell is this? Didnt we try the AB thing out a year or two ago before the bucs? Who going to get him the ball? A WR rn does not change the Saints with Oline help and a decent QB not named Taysom Hill....Put some respect on MT you weren't crying when he went out there and played on bad ankle for Drew who threw the post season away with TO vs the Bucs. You guys think some of the players we have are that easily replaceable you are kidding yourself MT unless he requests trade is here and will be ready to next season have some d@mn optimism the same optimism you had thinking Drew would come back and play. Where is the reality Saints Forum Fantasy Island is little too much