Jerry Rice ready to mentor and train with Antonio Brown if he ends up with 49ers

Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice has become the go-to source for noteworthy quotes surrounding Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown. There has been a lot of talk about Brown's desire to join the San Francisco 49ers and Rice's interviews on 95.7 The Game have kept those conversations interesting.

Monday morning was no different when Rice joined 95.7 The Game, as he does each week, and was asked about ... what else? Antonio Brown to the 49ers.

There has been some concern about Brown not being a good fit for the cohesive 49ers locker room that head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have created.

"Even if he came to the San Francisco 49ers, he's not going to be one of those guys to come in and really hurt this team," Rice said on the "Joe, Lo, and Dibs" show. "He's not going to be a bad influence. I can vouch for him.

"I don't even know if we're gonna get the opportunity to bring him here, but if we do, I'm gonna be right there to mentor this guy and be around him because the only thing he's been talking about — he's been talking about this forever. 'I want to run the hill with Jerry Rice. I want to work out with Jerry Rice. I want to pick his brain and see what made him so successful.'

"So I think he's a great football player and he'll be a great addition to the San Francisco 49ers."

You can listen to the entire conversation with Rice below.

Brown has made his position clear. He is seeking a change of scenery. As our own Peter Panacy reported on Sunday, Pittsburgh has not given permission to Brown and his agent to facilitate a trade. The Steelers will decide when and where he goes.

Also reported is that, despite what his social media activity would indicate, Brown hasn't completely shut the door on a potential return to Pittsburgh.

"He's maintained a steady dialogue with some in the organization he's close with to express that sentiment," reported Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. "Still, he should draw significant interest on the market."

Another Hall of Fame receiver, Terrell Owens, shared both on the PFTPM podcast and NFL Network that Brown has asked him repeatedly about life in the Bay Area, further hinting at a strong desire to play there.

"I've talked to him in recent weeks, especially after the season," Owens said. "I didn't know (where he wanted to go). Obviously, the cat's out of the bag because Jerry Rice has mentioned some things about him being in a 49er uniform. When I spoke to him, I thought we were just discussing possible options, but he kept asking me, 'Yo, how is the Bay Area?'

"I'm like, 'OK. It was nice when I was there when I played. They have Jimmy (Garoppolo) there. They have a great quarterback to compliment what you do on the football field.

"He kept asking me, 'What's the Bay Area like?' Well, it's sunny, it's shiny, they have a great quarterback, management is starting to turn around, they have a new stadium there. And he's a guy that's very smart and savvy, and he'll be in Silicon Valley. And with AB, business will be booming."