By: Nick LaPorte, 9/8/2019
Let’s open up the first NFL Sunday of the 2019-2020 season with everybody’s favorite topic of discussion; Antonio Brown. After an up-and-down week with the Raiders, Brown requested his release early Saturday morning, was granted it, and signed a one-year, $9 million guaranteed contract with the Patriots. But how did we go from Brown in Pittsburgh, putting up Hall-of-Fame numbers for years, to Brown now on his 3rd team since the start of January. In this post, I’ll start with what we know from Week 17 last season, and try to cover the major events of the AB-saga up through yesterday.
12/30/2019: Brown Sits Out Week 17
After a season in which Brown scored 15 TDs and put up 1,297 yards in 15 games, Brown was out of the lineup that Sunday on the last day of the regular season. He wasn’t injured, and the Steelers weren’t sitting starters; in fact, they had a slim chance to make the postseason assuming they could win. The Steelers lost, going 9-6-1 and Brown’s absence was noticeable. Why did Brown miss the game?
According to CBS, earlier in the week at practice Brown and QB Ben Roethlisberger got in an argument and Brown was so upset he supposedly tossed a football at his QB. But Brown was ready to play on Sunday, it was the Steelers who determined he needed to be disciplined. This started the chain reaction that led to Brown’s eventual departure from the team. Brown still showed himself to be elite at his position, but arguments with Roethlisberger and fellow wideout Juju Smith-Schuster were too much for the Steelers to continue to play Brown.
2/19/2019: Brown Requests Trade, MBC
Earlier in the week, Brown said his goodbyes to Steelers fans on social media, even though he was still under contract with the team. Then on this day, Brown publicly announced his demand to be traded. Brown had no doubt he would be traded, it seems, and acted with the certainty you don’t find from players on the trade block. This would be like Melvin Gordon announcing he expects to be traded tomorrow morning, even though the Chargers have no leverage to get a good return. Brown also used this post to anoint himself “Mr. Big Chest,” probably referring to how proud he was of his workout regimen.
3/10/2019: Brown Traded to Raiders
Finally, after months of waiting, Brown was traded to the Raiders for a 3rd and 5th round pick, less than fellow star WR Odell Beckham Jr. fetched for the Giants. But AB was older and maybe more of a locker room concern, and frankly it seems like the Steelers were good with letting Brown go for less than his market value. At this point, Brown was supposedly very excited to join QB Derek Carr and coach Jon Gruden in Oakland. With a move to Las Vegas on the horizon, it made sense to have Brown under Gruden for the long haul. A couple of strange guys with big personalities headed to a strange city, that gravitates towards celebrities. At that time, it seemed like Brown would make it work.
4/8/2019: Juju DM Leaves Us Confused
After almost a month of back and forth social media jabs, Brown took to Instagram to… mock? his former teammate Smith-Schuster. In the old DM that Brown posted, it showed Smith-Schuster as a college WR praising Brown’s skills and asking for tips. At the time, neither knew they would be teammates. But it left us scratching our heads, because it didn’t accomplish what Brown hopes it would. It left Brown looking petty, and Smith-Schuster looking, as always, like a likable humble person. Brown maybe hoped to show that Smith-Schuster wasn’t the kind of stand up guy he pretends to be, so Brown showed us indisputable evidence… that Smith-Schuster is the kind of stand up guy he comes off as.
8/4/2019: Brown Injures Feet in Accident
After a few months of offseason silence, Brown once again entered the headlines. Apparently, while in France, Brown tried cryotherapy for his feet and he accidentally contracted frostbite. This led to Brown’s extended absence from training camp, but the athletic trainer was optimistic Brown could return to practice in August. At this point, Brown had only attended one practice as a member of the Raiders and already we could see there was no sign of Brown keeping his nose out of trouble.
8/9/2019: Brown Sues NFL Over Helmet Use
While Brown was missing time with feet problems, he was also working on a lawsuit against the NFL. Brown had used a certain type of helmet his whole career, but the NFL deemed it not safe enough to pass inspection. As a result, Brown threatened retirement unless he was allowed his old helmet. Again, no red flags here. Later in the week, Brown was foiled by an arbitrator and decided he would use a new helmet after all. It turns out that retiring, and leaving $30 million in guaranteed money on the table, was not on the menu for Brown at that time. More on that in a few.
9/4-5/2019: Brown is Fined and Suspended
A couple of things happened earlier this week, and Brown was on a rollercoaster. First, Brown posted his displeasure that the Raiders fined him for missing practice. Then, Raiders GM decided to suspend Brown for up to 4 games, which would void the $30 million guaranteed of his contract.
9/6/2019: Brown Fights Back, Apologizes
After that, Brown and GM Mike Mayock got in an argument, in which Brown reportedly called Mayock a “cracker.” This is what apparently got him suspended in the first place, and Mayock wasn’t happy. Gruden, who had been in his corner the entire time, told us that Brown had issued a heartfelt apology and Gruden said he expected Brown to play week one, just 2 days later. In just 3 days, Brown went from playing, to being suspended, to playing again. Brown also posted footage of him and Gruden getting along. Knock on wood if you’re still with me.
9/7/2019: Brown Demands Release
Well, the honeymoon didn’t last long, as Brown posted on Instagram early this morning asking to be released. It turns out Mayock still planned to suspend him, and void his contract, and Brown wanted out on his own terms. Less than 24 hours ago, Brown was reportedly going to play on Monday night. At this point, he was all of a sudden a free agent. One of the league’s best WRs was suddenly looking for employment, his off field issues be damned. Where he went will really shock you!
9/7/2019: Patriots Sign Brown for $9 Million
Brown signed with the Patriots just a few hours later, for 1-year, and a contract worth up to $15 million. In a move that echoes the Patriots acquisition of Randy Moss in 2007, the Patriots have once again acquired a generational-talent at WR for Tom Brady to take to the next level. We all know what happened then; the Patriots went 16-0, reinvented the modern NFL offense, and both Brady and Moss had career years. Brady was only 30 then; now he’s 42. But maybe this will once again be the spark Brady needs to keep chugging along.
Brown will be their #1, moving ahead of Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon, another reclamation project. In Brown and Gordon, the Patriots now have the #1 and #2 leaders in receiving from 2013. The upside is sky high, and we forget the team won the Super Bowl just a few months ago. Brady will have a great path to get another one, after climbing the mountain 6 times already in his career. The only question is whether Brown can keep his mind in order off the field, something he hasn’t been able to do in over 10 months. But if any culture will fix him, it’s New England. And if not, Bill Belichick will cut him, as is the Patriot Way.
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