Report: Patriots Won't Re-Sign WR Antonio Brown

The Patriots will reportedly steer clear of the 31-year-old wideout.

Antonio Brown will not be a New England Patriot this season again. Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Thursday night that the team does not plan on re-signing the former All-Pro receiver. 

The Patriots will not be re-signing Antonio Brown, according to a source. Those rumors can be put to rest.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) November 22, 2019

After Mike Florio reported earlier this week that there was "optimism" that Brown could play again this season and Brown apologized to Robert Kraft and the Patriots organization via an Instagram post, there was talk that New England may "kick the tires" on signing the troubled receiver after a one week stint with him early in the season. In reality, that seems to not be the case. 

New England will carry on with a receiver room that consists of Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, Phillip Dorsett, N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers. It was reported earlier this week that Sanu may miss multiple weeks due a high ankle sprain that he suffered during last Sunday's 17-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Dorsett also suffered a concussion during the Week 11 game, but there was "midweek optimism" that he will pass concussion protocol in time for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. 

Due to the receiver position being continually banged up, New England may explore other free agent options at the position. They did sign Quincy Adeboyejo to their practice squad on Wednesday, but it's hard to imagine he would be activated to the 53-man roster and earn meaningful playing time.