Antonio Brown is officially on the roster in New England. He doesn’t yet have a number. And he quite possibly won’t have No. 84.
That number belongs to tight end Benjamin Watson. And even if Watson were inclined to give the number to Brown, NFL rules generally prohibit in-season number changes.
Of course, “special exceptions” may be considered by the NFL Football Operations department depending on the circumstances. And it would be very interesting to see whether the NFL would do any favors for Brown, given his multiple unsuccessful efforts to fight the league over his preferred headwear.
Brown’s grievances regarding his helmet of choice ultimately arose from vanity, and from a deep-seated Veruca Salt vibe that has seen Brown consistently get what he wants. So if he wants 84 and doesn’t get it, what will he do?
It could be an interesting threshhold litmus test regarding whether Brown is willing to do whatever he has to do to adapt to the Patriot Way, or whether he’s still interested primarily in the AB Way.