Rice spoke with Brown via FaceTime over the weekend. What did the two discuss?
"Antonio and I, we have always kept in communication," said Rice on the "Joe, Lo, and Dibs" show. "This guy, he's a totally complete team player. I don't know what happened in Pittsburgh, but I know that this guy, if he comes here to San Francisco, he's going to do everything possible to help this team to win."
Rice went on to say that Brown can take the 49ers offense, which already has one of the NFL's best tight ends in George Kittle, to a whole other level. He also believes acquiring Brown would send a message to the Niner Faithful that the team is committed to winning now.
Does Rice get the sense from his conversations that Brown would like to play for the 49ers?
"Yeah," Rice responded. "Yeah, he wants to come here really bad. He's talking about running the hill with me, doing all that, and just working out, just picking my brain.
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"I don't know if it's going to happen because it's going to be up to Kyle Shanahan and also John Lynch. But I'm all for it if they want him to come on board and I would be looking forward to just passing some of that knowledge on to him and being around this guy because I know he's a great individual."
The one concern some have with Brown, given how his relationship with Pittsburgh has deteriorated, is the receiver's fit in the locker room and culture in San Francisco. Is Rice confident he would be a good fit for Shanahan and Lynch?
"Not a question," Rice responded. "No hesitation at all. Just being around him, and I know his demeanor. I know he wants to win, and he wants to just contribute to the team. I think he will be a great asset to the San Francisco 49ers if they are willing to make it happen."
Rice continued, "If it was left up to me, he would be here in a heartbeat."
Brown's relationship with Rice certainly explains why the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver liked this specific piece of art.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Rice below. The discussion surrounding Brown begins at about the 7:10 mark.
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