On Wednesday, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson wants receiver Antonio Brown on the team. On Thursday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn’t slam the door on signing Brown.
“Hey, I respect [Lamar] for feeling that way. I respect his opinion on it,” Harbaugh told reporters, via Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun. “We’ll look at any players at any time.”
Harbaugh then added this observation regarding Brown: “I don’t think he’s even available to sign.”
Technically, Brown is available to be signed. It’s believed, however, that he’d be promptly placed on the Commissioner Exempt list, if anyone were to sign him. This means that Brown would be paid to not play while the league continues to drag its feet on whether and to what extent Brown will be suspended for multiple potential violations of the Personal Conduct Policy.
The Ravens are in an awkward spot with Antonio Brown. His cousin, Marquise, is a key member of the receiving corps. If the Ravens sign Antonio Brown, and if things don’t go well, Antonio could (intentionally or not) poison Marquise against the team. And so the team might be in a bizarre holding pattern with Antonio Brown, trying not to tell him “no” while hoping that someone else gives the Ravens an escape hatch by signing him.