Tuesday’s “First Call” features a former Pittsburgh Steeler who is trying to get his career in gear out west. Antonio Brown’s return to the field is set. We know some future Super Bowl and draft locations.
And dispute Art Rooney II’s best efforts, Thursday night flex scheduling is coming to the NFL.
Burns back in Seattle
Ex-Steeler Artie Burns is re-signing with the Seattle Seahawks. That’s via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Free-agent cornerback Artie Burns is re-signing with the Seahawks on a one-year deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2023
After seeing only limited snaps in 2019, Burns left the Steelers to go to the Chicago Bears but tore his ACL and missed the whole year. In 2021 he started to enjoy a bit more success, and in 2022 he inked a contract with the Seahawks. But he played in just three games there in 2022 logging 24 total snaps.
The former first-round pick has four total interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in his career, to go along with 172 tackles.
Mr. Big Chest’s big debut
A.B. stands for “Already Back.”
Former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is making his return to the football field with the National Arena football league team he owns in Albany. The Empire host the Fayetteville Mustangs on Saturday night. According to WNYT television in Albany, Brown is telling sports director Roger Wyland that he will be on the field for the game.
Seven time Pro Bowl WR Antonio Brown confirmed with me on Sunday that his first game playing for the Albany Empire will be Saturday May 27th at MVP Arena against Fayetteville. It’s a game that will draw national headlines.
— Rodger Wyland (@RodgerWyland) May 22, 2023
Brown last played in the NFL in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before leaving the field in a shirtless temper tantrum.
The former All-Pro hinted that the move back into shoulder pads might happen last week. He also ripped the team for poor play in the wake of the loss versus Jacksonville last week.
Now Brown is at the “I have nobody to blame besides me, myself” stage.
Yet, I’m gonna bet he’s not aware of that.
Must see TV
At NFL spring meetings in Minnesota on Monday, team owners passed a measure to allow for flexible scheduling of “Thursday Night Football” games.
The measure passed with a 24-8 vote, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN. That’s the bare minimum needed to adopt the idea.
Giants, Jets, Packers, Bears, Raiders, Detroit, Bengals, Pittsburgh voted against it – to no avail.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2023
Via Kevin Seifert of ESPN, “The resolution will allow the league to flip a Sunday afternoon game into Thursday night and move the originally scheduled game to Sunday afternoon during Weeks 13 through 17. The NFL must file notice no later than 28 days before the game, an increase of nearly two weeks from the earlier proposal. No team will be required to flex to a Thursday night game more than one time, and the maximum number of Thursday night games will remain two per team. The NFL said the Thursday night flex option can be applied no more than two times during the season.”
Art Rooney II of the Steelers voted against the plan. The Schefter report claims the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and New York Jets all voted against the proposal too.
The same eight owners held out during the previous league meetings in March but were unable to prevent the motion from passing.
More sports
• First Call: NFL passes Thursday night flex plan despite Steelers ‘no’ vote; Antonio Brown to play for Albany Empire
• Tim Benz: Making sense of Mike Sullivan’s reported AHL action plan for the Penguins’ new GM
• 5 things to watch as Steelers begin organized team activities
Destinations known
The NFL announced on Monday that the 2026 Super Bowl is going to be in San Francisco. That’ll be Super Bowl 60 (LX).
It’s going to be the third Bay Area Super Bowl. Levi’s Stadium, which opened in Santa Clara in 2014, also hosted Super Bowl 50. That game saw the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers won Super Bowl XIX over the Miami Dolphins at Stanford Stadium after the 1984 season.
Meanwhile, Green Bay, Wisc., is getting the NFL Draft in 2025. It’ll be held in and around historic Lambeau Field. That’s the word from the NFL.
Green Bay is the NFL’s smallest city. But is apparently now big enough to host the event. Via Rob Demovsky who covers the Packers for ESPN.com, CEO Mark Murphy first revealed in 2016 that the team was angling to get a draft as early as 2019, after efforts to beef up infrastructure, including hotels and convention space, to host the event.
Since then, there has been construction around Lambeau Field and the Titletown District to add hotels, restaurants and exhibition space. Green Bay was one of three finalists to host the 2024 draft, which was awarded last to Detroit last March.
