Today sure as hell feels like a win for Antonio Brown. He's going to the team he wants. He got new money to make him the highest paid receiver in football. The Steelers didn't get a great return.
Here's something to hang your hats on Steelers fans: it had to happen.
This year, Antonio Brown skipped meetings after the Steelers lost to the Chiefs. He responded to a former team employee on Twitter "demanding" a trade. He allegedly threw things off of a 14th story balcony almost hitting a toddler. He drove 100 MPH on McKnight Road. He faked an injury during the last week of the season, refused the MRI, and didn't show up to the walkthrough. He's disrespected the coach, the GM, the owner, and the quarterback. After the season he was accused of domestic assault.
Some say that this deal made the Steelers look weak. I don't see that they had another choice than to do what they did. Had AB been on the roster next year it would have been a disaster. How could he look Ben in the eye? How could his teammates respect the way he talked about their QB and their coach? It wouldn't have worked.
Now, for you "they should have kept him and suspended him" people: Le'Veon Bell wasn't around the team this year, but was a constant distraction throughout the season. Brown would have been a bigger one.
Today may feel like a loss, but in the long run the Steelers got rid of a cancer.