Main reason why no one is signing him:
—The NFL is currently doing a thorough investigation and they have been known to 1) drag their heels and 2) arrive at predetermined conclusions, so there is at least a 50/50 chance that Brown doesn’t play again this season, probably higher. Remember that there are two separate accusers. They made sure to release a statement when NE cut him which was seen by many as a warning to other teams regarding his availability. If NFL executives truly believed that one of the best WR talents in the league was just sitting there ripe for the picking, multiple teams would be tripping over themselves trying to sign him.
Some other possible reasons why NE (specifically) isn’t signing him:
—They feel confident that they’ll be able to receive cap credit for 2020 which by my estimation, would be significant since it would be for both 2019 and 2020. I don’t know the specifics as well as other posters, but it’s approximately 10m dollars. It became apparent that Brown knew about the threat of a lawsuit way before he signed here, so I believe that will be their main argument.
—They don’t like the fact that Brown lied to them, and they certainly don’t care for how he handled himself even after they kept him and played him vs Miami. Not only did he continue to feed the fire by sending text messages, he brought up one of the accusers children, so he comes off looking creepy in the process. Finally, as if that weren’t enough, he gave the organization a parting gift of the middle finger by calling out team owner Bob Kraft, personally.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to the fact that he hasn’t been cleared of the investigation and they have no idea as to whether or not he’ll play, so they aren’t going to risk their stance in terms of winning the grievance hearing and recouping the cap space for 2020. It would look pretty dumb of them if they cut him, refused to pay him, and argued that the prior knowledge of his pending lawsuit prevented him from doing his job, only to re-sign him and watch him sit on the commissioner’s exempt list or serve a suspension. He would have to be cleared first, and the most recent report states that they’re at least a few weeks away from making any type of determination. If he is somehow cleared, they should at least consider it, but for me the idea of Goodell and the other 31 owners allowing NE to acquire a player like that just in time for the playoffs seems like a pipe dream. I just don’t think it’s going to happen.
