As if one national headline move wasn’t enough, some reports have suggested that the Buccaneers may be looking to sign troubled but talented wide receiver Antonio Brown to join Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.

Brown briefly played with Brady last year in New England, catching four passes for 56 yards and one touchdown in a 43-0 win over Miami before being released due to off-field issues. Brown was traded from Pittsburgh to Oakland in the 2019 offseason, but he never played a down with the Raiders due to off-field issues.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted the following this morning:

As @TomPelissero and I discussed on TV, the word among teams interested in Tom Brady were among the impression that Brady wanted to bring Antonio Brown with him to a new team. Brown is still under investigation, and remains to be seen when he can play. But Brady is close with him

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2020

Rapoport is far from the only media figure to suggest the marriage, but he is the most prominent.

There are, however, a plethora of obstacles to overcome before even considering such a signing, most notably Brown’s pending legal issues. A full timeline of Brown’s off-field issues over the past year is extensive, but two sexual assault accusations and an arrest for battery and burglary in late January of this year highlight the list. The receiver remains under investigation from the NFL, and if he were to return to the league, he would likely face a significant suspension.

PewterReport.com’s sources tell us that Brown likely won’t be pursued by Tampa Bay.

All of that is probably significant enough to keep Brown out of the league for the rest of his life, but a fit in Tampa seems perhaps least likely of all based on the fractured relationship between the veteran pass-catcher and head coach Bruce Arians. In January of 2019, Arians told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he wouldn’t be interested in trading for Brown because “There’s too much miscommunication, too much … diva. I’ve heard so many stories — I like Antonio — he plays as hard as anybody on Sunday, and he practices hard. He’s just gotta make better decisions off the field, be on time, do some of those little things.”

Brown responded on Twitter (of course) with the following:

He didn’t draft me he drafted @ESanders_10 same guy who missed rehab to go on networks to talk about me on situation he have zero clue! Arians now wears kangoo hats n glasses 😂 but ima diva! Done seen it all then they say we friends stop lien https://t.co/jALXyhQMAw

— AB (@AB84) January 16, 2019

Considering that was just over a year ago and Brown has spent the 365 days since then making every wrong move imaginable, it’s tough to envision their view of each other being in a more positive place today.

There is also the matter of Brown’s price tag, which is complete unknown at this point. On one hand he is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, on the other hand he basically has to take whatever is offered him if he wants back in the league. With Mike Evans as one of the league’s highest-paid wide receivers and Chris Godwin set for a huge contract extension this offseason, the Bucs wouldn’t give AB much. It would be on Brown to swallow his pride and take a cheap, prove-it deal, and I’m just not sure that’s going to be the case.

On top of all of these logistical concerns, Arians and general manager Jason Licht finally feel they have the atmosphere of the Bucs locker room exactly where they want it. There are no troublemakers, no drama and a 100 percent focus on football. They’d like to keep it that way, and Brown’s unstable presence would put all of that in jeopardy.

Consider me among those who believe this potential Bucs-Brown marriage is the longest of long shots to happen, regardless of what Brady might want.