Which Brown wide receiver should the 49ers pursue in 2019?

With rampant trade rumors about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Niner Noise questions if the San Francisco 49ers should go after the All-Pro veteran or his cousin, Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown.

Well, this new year has been very interesting for San Francisco 49ers fans, to say the least.

In two days, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has done all the social media actions to show that he’s very interested in playing for the Niners.

This, of course, after a reported incident in advance of the Steelers’ final game of 2018, which highlighted the apparent rift between Brown and the franchise.

Brown just started following the 49ers on Instagram and Twitter. Our own Peter Panacy recapped the whole progression of Brown’s Niners obsession, stating how he has seemingly done all the moves to indicate a move to the Bay.

Now, for a player of Brown’s ilk, you would expect a ransom for a trade. But his distaste for the Steelers — and they not longer wanting to tolerate Brown, as it seems — could make a trade for a top-five receiver far easier. I’d say if the 49ers traded their 2019 second-nd round pick, if the situation gets that bad, Brown would be donning red and gold. You could add some extra conditional picks on the side.

But then, a new question comes up. Would San Francisco even want to trade for Brown? Now, obviously, you want a great player on your team, but there are different issues. Like it or not, Brown has acted up in the past, although we don’t really know the circumstances regarding those situations. He will turn 31 years old before the 2019 season begins and is making quite a bit of money.

For the Niners, they don’t really have the option to refuse terrific players, given the talent situation on their roster. But with that second-round pick, there’s another Brown wide receiver San Francisco could potentially take: Oklahoma’s Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who has decided to enter the NFL draft.

Brown had 1,318 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns playing in Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley’s high-octane Air Raid offense. He took the top off the defense, was able to make contested catches and was a yards-after-catch monster. With all that said, he would be a rookie, and his skill and route-running abilities aren’t the same as his older cousin, Antonio.

So there lies the issue. Should the 49ers take the younger Marquise Brown, who still is raw but cheap compared to his older cousin? Or should they take the older Antonio Brown, who is a sure thing in the NFL but may be entering the end of his prime?

There’s no real right answer, although the 49ers might bypass both of them to go after New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

But, who would you take? Go young or go veteran, either way you get a Brown.