Mark Madden: Lamar Jackson should be careful what he's wishing for with Antonio Brown

I didn’t think the Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to win the AFC North until Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (the reigning NFL MVP) said, “I’d be happy if we signed him.” “Him” is wayward wide receiver Antonio Brown, ex of this parish.

That puts the Steelers right back in it. Cleveland, too. Heck, maybe even Cincinnati.

If the MVP wants it, Baltimore management will feel obliged to at least consider it. Coach John Harbaugh successfully has handled some egos before, including Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. Why not Brown? Brown’s cousin Marquise Brown is a receiver for the Ravens. He might be able to help keep a lid on family.

That’s all the stinkiest sort of kimchi, of course.

Lewis and Suggs were colorful but put winning first. AB doesn’t care one bit about winning. It’s me and mine, period. AB is 10 times as toxic as Lewis or Suggs ever were.

Marquise is but a mark in this potential drama, an unwitting shill. So is Jackson, who got suckered in via help from one of AB’s primary weapons, social media.

During his brief tenure in New England, AB attempted to attach himself to Tom Brady by way of accompanying Brady to Tampa Bay. But nobody told Bucs coach Bruce Arians, so the parasite disengaged from its host.

The barnacle found another whale, however: AB, his cousin and Jackson worked out together and were pictured together on Twitter. Then Jackson said what he said.

AB isn’t smart, but he is calculating. Just as he attempted with Brady, AB is trying to finagle a primo job by leeching onto Jackson.

Baltimore probably won’t bite.

Upon signing, AB likely would get suspended or placed on the commissioner’s exempt list because he’s facing a civil case for sexual assault.

How could Ravens management possibly disregard all the damage AB has done (not least to himself) over the last year?

Most significant, AB would eat Jackson alive. Jackson has been in the NFL only two years. AB wants the ball every play. Imagine if he got a contract with a low guarantee but statistical incentives? Jackson isn’t a veteran like Ben Roethlisberger. He couldn’t handle that constant drone in the huddle.

AB might not crack Jackson. But why take a chance? It’s like signing a virus.

But the Ravens do need help at receiver.

The Steelers need help at running back. Getting Leonard Fournette from Jacksonville has been mooted in the media.

The Jaguars want to dump Fournette. He has a year left on his deal at $4.16 million and a club option for 2021. The Steelers don’t have much to trade for Fournette and would have to restructure contracts to fit him under their salary cap.

But it’s thought Fournette could be had for a late-round draft pick. Given James Conner’s brittle nature, how could the Steelers not? Fournette and Conner wouldn’t be Franco and Rocky, but each would provide insurance for the other.

If you want to romanticize the deal beyond invoking Harris and Bleier, acquiring Fournette would conjure memories of the trade that brought Jerome Bettis from the St. Louis Rams to Pittsburgh during the 1996 draft. The Steelers got Bettis and a third-round pick in exchange for second- and fourth-round picks.

Bettis was 24 and said to have a bad attitude. Fournette is 25 and has feuded with Jacksonville management. He has been suspended and hurt. He talks too much.

Bettis had two good seasons before the swap, including a 1,429-yard effort as a rookie in 1993. Fournette has his best season last year: 1,152 yards and a 4.3-yard average. He also led the Jaguars with 76 receptions.

The Steelers were a new beginning for Bettis, and he wound up enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

That won’t happen with Fournette, unless it does. But the Steelers just need Fournette to be solid, like he has been.

Last year, the Steelers traded a fifth-round pick to get tight end Nick Vannett, who is a bum. How can they not give up similar to get Fournette? If the Steelers let Fournette walk after one season, they get a comp pick. It’s foolproof.

It’s better to make the trade now. But it’s easy to see the Steelers waiting to see who they draft. If they don’t take a back at pick No. 49, then the Steelers go after Fournette. But it might be too late, or more difficult to do. Others teams could use Fournette, too. (Buffalo is currently the favorite to get him. Yes, there are odds on that.)

If the Steelers get Fournette and draft, say, 6-foot-4 receiver Michael Pittman of Southern Cal with that 49th choice, they have deep weaponry. Not star-studded, but Roethlisberger would have a lot to choose from and would elevate somebody.