Two of the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ most accomplished wide receivers, Antonio Brown and Hines Ward, have always had a tense dynamic outside of the locker room. While the two only briefly overlapped during Brown’s rookie season, the former wide receiver was always vocal in expressing that he wanted the veteran to “hurry up and get out the way” so that Brown could take over the veteran’s spot. Even now, years later, the former wide receiver is still not over his feelings and recently called out fans for comparing him to Ward.
“If you compare oranges to apples, they’re all fruits. They’re all good fruits, they all have different results and different ingredients and different calories and different little measurements and stuff that make it,” said Antonio Brown on his TikTok live on Friday. “But if you are comparing 86 to 84, let’s compare,” “How many touchdowns does Hines Ward has with Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback?”
Ex-#Steelers WR Antonio Brown didn’t like being compared to Hines Ward on a TikTok live on Friday night.
“Don’t come in my chat on TikTok and say who’s better, because we can have the uncomfortable conversation. You could clip me all you want.” #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/ICGdBZWLZm
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) May 16, 2026
Brown and Ward played together for only two seasons before the latter hung up his cleats. Despite being two of the best receivers in Pittsburgh, Brown feels that the comparison is a downgrade for him. According to him, the numbers are there to highlight the difference between him and Ward.
Ward and Roethlisberger only ever connected on 41 touchdowns. As for Brown, the figure stood at a staggering 72 touchdowns. To add more to it, Brown was a more dominant receiver on a per-game and per-season basis. Throughout his career, Ward had six 1,000 receiving yards seasons. Between 2013 and 2018, Brown recorded six 1,000-receiving seasons at a stretch, featuring a more consistent and more dominant peak.
Between 2014 and 2017, the former Steelers wide receiver led the league in receiving yards. It barely took him any time to eclipse Ward’s record in Pittsburgh. However, many have pointed out that Ward played in a run-heavy era and had a better longevity than Brown. Brown’s 12,291 receiving yards are certainly more than Ward’s, but as a Black and Gold player, the latter seems to be the successful one in comparison to Brown.
Ward is the Steelers’ all-time leader in receptions (1,000), receiving yards (12,083), and touchdown catches (85). Brown could have reached that level, but he left the franchise in 2019 to join the Oakland Raiders. During that time, he had 837 grabs for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns, all second to Ward.
Moreover, as a Steelers player, Ward also won two Super Bowls, while Brown had zero. He won his only Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. However, Antonio Brown’s remarks don’t come as a surprise, as he is on a roll, slamming and trolling other Pittsburgh legends as well.
Antonio Brown accuses Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger
Antonio Brown’s actions over the years have clarified that he has next to no respect for the Steelers’ former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Despite having one of the most successful QB-WR partnerships in the league, Brown is still carrying a grudge over the quarterback for something that happened almost a decade ago.
“I’ll slap Brandon Marshall. I probably broke the phone.” Brown said on TikTok live, “You ask Ben Roethlisberger how many touchdowns he holds me back from. Ask him. You think I need a Hall of Fame award for you guys to know how great I am? I don’t need any awards. You can take the awards and shove them up your a–.”
Yikes: The legendary Antonio Brown goes OFF on Brandon Marshall and Ben Roethlisberger on TikTok live.
“I’ll slap Brandon Marshall! Ask Big Ben how many touchdowns he held me back from. You can take the Hall of Fame awards and shove it up your a***.”
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 14, 2026
The seven-time Pro-Bowler last played for the Steelers during the 2018 season. It was the same year that he skipped team practices following a heated disagreement. He was left out of playing against the Cincinnati Bengals because of a knee injury. But later reports suggested that it wasn’t the injury that prevented him from playing.
Reportedly, the wide receiver was frustrated with Roethlisberger wanting to repeat a hot-read play during a walk-through. Because of that, Brown was replaced, and he left practice altogether. Later, it was revealed that Brown even told Roethlisberger that he felt underappreciated.
Ultimately, Brown left the organization following an elite season. He recorded 104 receptions, 1,297 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns. Before his departure, his tally came to 837 receptions, 11,000+ receiving yards, and 74 touchdown passes thrown by Roethlisberger.
Even after all these years, the frustration still seems to be a big reason behind Brown’s frustration, as he seems to be pretty riled up with the Pittsburgh Steelers legends.
