https://247sports.com/nfl/oakland-raiders/Article/Antonio-Brown-traded-to-Oakland-Raiders-129857910/
Report: Antonio Brown traded to the Oakland Raiders
By John Newby
15 minutes ago
This time, the move appears to be happening.
Late Thursday night, news broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers had traded Antonio Brown to the Buffalo Bills. This set social media ablaze and brought about questions of how Brown would pair with quarterback Josh Allen. There was also the added twist of the trade taking place on the 10-year anniversary of Terrell Owens signing with the Bills.
However, the trade ultimately fell through, and Brown was once again waiting to hear his future. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that there had been talks between the Bills and Steelers for a potential Brown deal, his sources told him that a deal was “unlikely” at the time. According to another source of his, the story of Buffalo pursuing Brown was “dead on Wednesday,” and that a trade would not be happening. On the overall Brown front, Schefter reported that nothing was close and that getting a deal done by Friday as the team had originally hoped appeared unlikely.
Well, Brown officially has a team. According to Antonio Brown himself, the Oakland Raiders have agreed to trade terms with the Steelers to acquire the dynamic receiver. This move is far more understandable considering that the Raiders check all the boxes on Brown’s list of requirements.
Obviously, the Raiders have the quarterback in Derek Carr, and the money to bring Brown to town. The only other question heading into the trade was whether the locker room would be prepared to take care of any issues that arise. Fortunately, there are some veterans on the team, such as Jordy Nelson, that can be a voice of reason when needed. Plus, Gruden is a truly big fan of Brown. Just look at the comments he made before the Raiders victory over the Steelers last season.
“He can run every route you dream up,” Gruden said back in early December. “I say that about other receivers but he can run double moves, he can run by you, he can run crossing routes, he’s very good after the catch. What’s the greatest thing about this man? I’ve told all of our receivers, if you get a chance to watch him practice, you’ll see what unlocks the greatness in him. He’s the hardest working man, I think, in football. Hardest working player I’ve ever seen practice. I’ve seen Jerry Rice, I’ve seen a lot of good ones, but I put Antonio Brown at the top. If there are any young wideouts out there, I’d go watch him practice. You figure out yourself why he’s such a good player.”
While a trade had been rumored for months, the actual idea of sending Brown to another team appeared to be far-fetched. Some days, he would send out hints on social media that he wanted out of town but would reiterate his love for the team on other occasions. However, the situation changed after a series of incidents that drove a wedge between Brown and the team.
The 31-year-old wideout broke into the NFL in 2010 as a sixth-round draft pick. Brown introduced himself to many fans after making a crucial catch in Pittsburgh’s playoff victory over Baltimore during the 2010 postseason that helped propel the Steelers to Super Bowl XLV. Brown broke into the starting lineup for the first time in 2011, earning Pro Bowl honors that season while also winning the first of his four team MVP awards.
Brown’s remarkable run of statistical success started in 2013 when he caught 110 passes for 1,499 yards (both franchise records) and eight touchdowns. Brown followed that campaign up with a 129-catch, 1,698-yard, 13-touchdown 2014 season that helped the Steelers win the AFC North division for the first time since his rookie season. Brown had a season for the ages in 2015, catching 136 passes for 1,834 yards and 10 scores while helping Pittsburgh defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs.
Steelers president Art Rooney II rewarded Brown with a four-year extension at the end of the 2016 season, a season that saw Brown catch 12 touchdowns during the regular season while helping Pittsburgh reach the AFC Championship. Brown responded with his best season to date in 2017, catching 101 passes for 1,533 yards and nine touchdowns despite missing most of the final there games with a lower-body injury. Despite being less than 100 percent, Brown returned for Pittsburgh’s divisional round playoff game against Jacksonville, catching seven passes for 132 yards and two scores in the Steelers’ 45-42 defeat.
While he continued to pile up numbers in 2018 (he finished the season with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-best 15 touchdowns), something seemed off with Brown throughout the season. He lashed out at two reporters during training camp, then wrote “trade me” on Twitter in response to former Steelers’ staffer that said that Brown’s success was largely due to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Brown also had several contentious moments with local media during Pittsburgh’s locker room availability.
Brown’s frustration boiled over during Week 17 when he forced Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin to bench him for the team’s final game against the Bengals after failing to properly communicate with him during the two days prior to the game. Brown publicly criticized the team during the first two months of the 2018 offseason while publicly requesting a trade. Brown did have a cordial meeting with Rooney in February after the two sides agreed that a breakup would be best for both parties.
“Thanks for the opportunity,” Brown recently told ESPN when he was asked what he told Rooney when the two sides met last month. “Thanks for giving a 21-year-old kid the opportunity to live his dream and to experience the NFL really at a high level. By me playing for the Steelers, that gave me an opportunity for everyone to know who I am. Gave me an opportunity to not only bless my family but bless everyone around me.
“I’ll always be a Steeler. I’ll always be able to come back and share love and be a part of history in some sort of regard. I’m super grateful, honored to have been a part of such a great organization. To learn about the ecosystem and how they run business and the feeling I got from the fans. That feeling will never be replaced. When I run into that stadium, that feeling they gave me was second to none.”
With Brown now in a new situation, he will look to prove that he is still the superstar receiver, even without Roethlisberger throwing him passes. The Raiders, on the other hand, will begin to fantasize about the heights that this offense can reach with Brown and Carr pairing together for big plays.
