Antonio Brown has a strong Hall of Fame case, but it turns out not everyone is buying it. Former NFL cornerback Asante Tyrell Samuel questions whether Brown deserves a first-ballot spot in the 2027 class compared to Terrell Owens.
"I think Antonio Brown is the most celebrated wide receiver of our lifetime," Asante Tyrell Samuel Sr. said on the Say What Needs To Be Said podcast
. "He was one of those players that took advantage of social media, and he's garnered a lot of attention on social media. That helped him become one of the most celebrated receivers because he built such a strong following. But is Antonio Brown a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
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"I think AB might be the most hyped receiver we've seen in a long time. We witnessed Terrell Owens. Terrell Owens got screwed. T.O. got screwed by the Hall of Fame, and he was second all-time at receiving yards. And we all know and agree that Terrell Owens was supposed to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he was screwed."
Now, Samuel isn't saying that Antonio Brown doesn't have a solid career, but there are other players like Terrell Owens who deserved the first ballot spot more than him but didn't get one.
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Antonio Brown had an outstanding NFL career, finishing with 928 receptions, 12,291 receiving yards, and 83 receiving touchdowns in 146 games. He also earned four First-Team All-Pro selections, seven Pro Bowl selections, a Super Bowl title, and a place on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
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However, his controversial career could make it harder for him to justify the first ballot spot.
One example of Brown's controversial career came in 2022, when he took off his jersey and left the Buccaneers' game against the New York Jets after a disagreement about entering the game. Later, he was no longer part of the team.
Meanwhile, Terrell Owens became eligible in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He finally entered the Hall of Fame in 2018, his third year of eligibility, despite having an excellent career. Owens finished with 1,078 catches, 15,934 receiving yards, 14.8 yards per catch, and 153 touchdown catches, showing why some people believed he deserved to enter the Hall of Fame sooner.
At the time he retired, his receiving yards
ranked second in NFL history. Owens also led the 49ers in receptions five times during his career. He remains second in the franchise's history in receptions with 592, receiving yards with 8,572, and receiving touchdowns with 81.
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These numbers clearly show why Samuel believes that Owens had a strong enough career to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
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