Wide receiver Antonio Brown. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Antonio Brown hinting that his NFL career is over?

Suffice to say, Antonio Brown has put a lot of energy into woo-ing NFL teams to sign him to a new deal. But with seemingly no clubs interested in claiming the embattled wide receiver, is he taking the hint and calling it a career?

The unsigned 33-year-old receiver told Fan Controlled Football that he won't play in 2022 and hinted that he may be hanging up his cleats for good.

"Don't play yourself looking for [me] to play," he said. "Obviously we live [for] the game, but you can't play forever... I think I'm a great player that's done everything in the game."

On the surface, this sounds like Brown may actually be looking to retire. Then again, his behavior over the last year has been so erratic, there's no telling whether he'll stick to that plan or not.

Brown hasn't played since his dramatic exit from the Buccaneers late in the 2021 season when he abruptly took his jersey and pads off mid-game and ran off the field. His contract with Tampa Bay was later terminated, leaving him without a team for the remainder of the 2021 season and playoffs. Brown spent the rest of the season and the first part of the offseason using social media and platforms like Cameo to coax other teams into signing him.

Most recently, Brown said he wanted to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who he also had a dramatic and ugly split with back in 2018.

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