Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown posted an Instagram photo Friday of himself in a San Francisco 49ers uniform alongside Niners legend Jerry Rice.

The picture included comments Rice made to 95.7 The Game about his belief the 49ers should attempt to trade for the superstar wideout. Brown captioned it: "When the GOAT embrace you" amid these rumors about his future.

The 30-year-old Miami native has been the focus of trade speculation since he missed the Steelers' Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals following a rumored dispute with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Brown has made a habit of making posts on social media when other stories about him are making news.

The seven-time Pro Bowl selection sent out a New Year's message on Twitter while Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was giving his season-ending press conference Jan. 2:

Friday's post came after Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported details from former and current Pittsburgh teammates about Tomlin's willingness to look the other way when Brown became a distraction because of his on-field success.

"[Tomlin] essentially told the group, we'll tolerate it now because of what he brings on the field, but the minute production stops, you don't overlook it," a former teammate said.

Another ex-Steelers player added: "This has been brewing for years. It's just now coming to the surface. And it's probably over."

Brown has a longstanding friendship with Rice, although it's likely several other teams around the league would also be interested in acquiring him. However, Brown would give Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a true No. 1 target for 2019.

His status will be one of the biggest stories of the 2019 offseason.