The Buccaneers and Antonio Brown have reached an agreement for a one-year deal, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Friday.
Brown's suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy ends after Week 8. He'll be eligible to make his Buccaneers debut in Week 9 against the Saints.
The signing reunites Brown with Tom Brady, after the two were teammates for one game with the Patriots in Week 2 of the 2019 season. Brady and Brown connected for four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in the game. Brown was released a few days later amid allegations of sexual harassment by an artist who was working in his home, and allegations of sexual assault by his former trainer.
Brown is also reunited with former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, now head coach of the Buccaneers. Arians was asked in March in a radio appearance if signing Brown was a possibility.
"It’s not gonna happen," he said. "There’s no room. It’s just not gonna happen. It’s just not a fit here."
Arians was pushed further on the matter at the time and asked if he'd consider adding Brown for the NFL's veteran minimum salary. Arians said that his reasons for not wanting Brown on the team go beyond not having a roster spot for him.
"No. I just know him and it’s not a fit in our locker room."
The Buccaneers' needs at wide receiver apparently outweigh those concerns Arians had about Brown's fit in the locker room. Mike Evans has been playing through an injured ankle, Scotty Miller has been dealing with a hip/groin injury, and Chris Godwin missed two weeks with a hamstring injury, returning on Sunday against the Packers.
The Buccaneers are Brown's fourth team in the last two years. He was traded from the Steelers to the Raiders in March 2019. He released by the Raiders that September and immediately signed with the Patriots, only to be released two weeks later.