Antonio Brown says he'd never hold out amid contract negotiations

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is battling for a new contract, but says he'll remain with the team regardless of the outcome.

Brown is under contract through the 2017 season after signing a five-year, $42.5-million extension in July 2012. After being selected as a first-team All-Pro in consecutive seasons, Brown outperformed his existing contract and is seeking a new one.

"My agent is in talks with the team right now. I don't know what they can do. There are a lot of possibilities. It is up to my agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to handle that part. I am just focused on getting better," Brown said Sunday, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Although Brown hopes for a new deal, he made it clear that he'll be with the team for the upcoming season.

"I can't really fight what the rules are. You have to take care of your guys," Brown said. "If a guy underperforms, you get rid of him. If a guy over-performs, you take care of him. ...

"The Rooney family has been first class with me since I have been 21, 22 years old. I'd never hold out. It's not a good reputation toward guys who have been taking care of me. I am a first-class guy, and the first way of getting better is showing up, so I am always going to show up and do my part and be ready to go."

This isn't the first time Brown's expressed a similar sentiment. Last summer, Brown also demanded a new deal, but balked at the idea of holding out.

"Holdouts never go well," Brown said last July, according to NFL.com's Gilberto Manzano. "Just look at history. It always ends badly. It wouldn't be the best decision. I make a lot of money. I pull up to camp in Rolls-Royces."

Brown caught a league-high 136 passes for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.