Chris Simms, the former NFL quarterback, current NBC Sports analyst and long-time friend of Kyle Shanahan, can envision the 49ers being interested in a big-name wide receiver this offseason.
Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham?
While Simms said he believes the 49ers would have interest in either wide receiver, he has no doubt which player would give the 49ers a bigger lift with less risk.
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“I would say Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t even reached the prime of his career, yet.”
Brown met Tuesday with Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II. Brown reported on social media the sides agreed "it is time to move on.”
Brown, it appears, will be available, either in a trade or as a free agent, if the Steelers cut him. Beckham might also be available in a trade from the New York Giants. Both players are among the most productive receivers in the NFL.
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Brown turns 31 in July. Beckham turned 26 in November.
“In my own personal opinion -- I watch a lot of film and break down teams and games and players -- I thought Antonio Brown did lose a step a little bit this year,” Simms said. “He’s still great, but he’s not the guy we saw three or four years ago. This is the age where receivers start to lose explosiveness and speed a little bit.”
In the first two offseasons of Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the club worked to add veterans of high character. Simms said he gets frustrated when people lump Brown and Beckham together as having similar off-field concerns.
“I think Antonio Brown comes with a whole lot more baggage than Odell Beckham Jr.,” Simms said.
Brown has been involved in a long list of off-field issues and dramas during a career that has also included seven trips to the Pro Bowl and six consecutive seasons with at least 101 receptions and 1,284 yards.
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“Antonio Brown works very hard. He’s a hell of a football player. I get all of that. And I know his work ethic is through the roof,” Simms said. “But the one thing I’ve always been told from people in Pittsburgh – players, coaches, front office people – is it’s all about Antonio Brown.
“At the end of the day, he doesn’t care if the Steelers win or lose. He just wants to know how many catches he had, how many yards he had. He is habitually late on a weekly basis. So he is a handful.”