Do Antonio Brown's career stats warrant him a spot in the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Antonio Brown is more or less done with the NFL, but if and when the official retirement comes, should he be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame? He might not play another down in the NFL given his history, but the statistics he has garnered are significant. While there is a chance he will never be enshrined in Canton, how do his stats compare?

Looking at the total numbers, Antonio Brown has 12,291 receiving yards, 928 receptions and 83 touchdowns in his career. In seven of the twelve seasons he has played, he has reached at least 1,000 yards, including five straight from 2014 to 2018. In 2014 and 2017, he was the receiving yards leader in the league. Brown was also the receiving touchdown leader in 2014 and 2015. He won Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February 2020.

Taking everything into account, he has a significant resume and arguably deserves to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. But how does Brown compare to other receivers already in Canton?

Comparing Antonio Brown's career to Michael Irvin's confirms his greatness

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v New York Jets

Antonio Brown records an average of 84.2 receiving yards per game, which is the fifth-highest of all time. He is 24th in all-time receptions. Compared with existing Hall of Famers, he has more receiving yards than Michael Irvin and Calvin Johnson. Comparing Antonio Brown against Michael Irvin, for example, shows that Irvin trails Brown in several categories. He trails in receptions (750 against 928), in receiving yards (11,904 against 12,291) and in receiving touchdowns (69 against 83).

Looking at particular seasons, Brown had six seasons with 100+ receptions and 1,200+ yards. Jerry Rice and Randy Moss combined for the same.

Looking at all such figures, it is not hard to argue against his inclusion in the Hall of Fame. But as we all know, being in Canton comes down to more than what one does on the field. As a representative of football, what happens off the field matters equally.

That is where Antonio Brown will run into some problems. Brown has been involved in numerous off-the-field incidents that have tarnished his career. While there have been people who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame with worse alleged transgressions than him, none of them have also rebelled against as many NFL figures as Brown.

Purely looking at the figures on the field, there is a very good case to be made for Brown to be a Hall of Famer. But taking the whole picture into account, he is unlikely to make the cut.