Jerry Rice: WR Brown wants to play for 49ers

Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice says disgruntled Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown wants to play for the San Francisco 49ers "really bad."

Rice, who made the comments Monday during a radio interview, reportedly had a FaceTime conversation with Brown on Sunday.

"He wants to come here really bad," Rice told 95.7 The Game.

"He's talking about running the hill with me -- doing all that and just working out and just picking my brain. I don't know if it's going to happen because it's going to be up to Kyle Shanahan and also [general manager] John Lynch, but I'm all for it if they want him to come on board."

Rice, the NFL's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, starred for the 49ers from 1985-2000 before finishing his legendary career with the Oakland Raiders (2001-04) and Seattle Seahawks (2004).

Rice said he would definitely trade for Brown if it were his decision.

"If it was left up to me, he'd be here in a heartbeat," Rice said.

Brown, who turns 31 in July, is coming off his sixth straight Pro Bowl appearance after totaling 104 catches for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-Pro four years in a row from 2014 to 2017.

He has fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh after skipping practices and team meetings and not returning phone calls from team president Art Rooney II, head coach Mike Tomlin or teammates leading up to the regular-season finale.

He showed up to play against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the team held Brown out. He was listed on the injury report with knee soreness, but many have questioned his injury. Reports said teammates felt he quit on them.

Last week, Rooney said "it's hard to envision" Brown returning to the Steelers, while Tomlin acknowledged that the receiver may have become more of a distraction than he's worth.

The Steelers gave Brown a four-year, $68 million extension last February.

Brown can't be dealt until the 2019 NFL calendar officially begins on March 13. The Steelers would likely make a decision on his status before March 17, when he is due a $2.5 million roster bonus.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)