The Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a trade for wide receiver Antonio Brown, according to Pro Football Talk.
Antonio Brown is indeed bound for the Raiders.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 10, 2019
The Steelers will receive the Raiders’ 2019 third- and fifth-round draft picks, says NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Antonio Brown saga is finally nearing a close. Sources say the #Steelers are dealing AB to the #Raiders in exchange for a third round pick and a fifth round pick in this 2019 draft. Brown will also get a reworked contract that makes him the NFL’s highest paid WR.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2019
In addition to the deal, Brown and the Raiders agreed on adding more money to his contract, as Pro Football Talk was first to report. This was likely something that Brown and his agent were demanding as part of the trade.
Per source, Antonio Brown will get a new deal as part of his trade to Oakland.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 10, 2019
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders will add more than $30 million in guarantees on Brown’s deal. Brown will be under contract through the 2021 season and can earn north of $54 million.
Raiders are adding money to Antonio Brown’s deal: He now will have three years worth $50.125 million – with incentives to go to $54.125 million, per source.
Where there was no guaranteed money there’s now $30.125 million guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2019
Brown has been one of the top receivers in the league the past five years. Last season with the Steelers, Brown caught 104 passes for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Raiders’ top pass catchers, Jared Cook and Jalen Richard, caught 68 passes. Brown is a very skilled receiver something the Raiders has lacked for years. The last number one receiver the Raiders had was Tim Brown.
Quarterback Derek Carr will be happy with this move. Carr will have a receiver who is reliable and does not drop a lot of passes. Brown will open things up for receivers Jordy Nelson and Seth Roberts, who should see a lot of one-on-one matchups.
The Raiders were willing to give big money to Brown, but the fact that they could not do this for Khalil Mack is mind-blowing. The Cooper trade does not bother me, though, as the guy did not want to be in Oakland.
Brown was a headache for the Steelers. He had a feud with Ben Roethlisberger because he did not like being called out and asked for a trade in the offseason. He missed the final game of the season because of the dispute with Roethlisberger and head coach Mike Tomlin. Even with all that, the Raiders have to take this risk. They need talent.
#Raiders traded a 3rd rounder for troubled/oft-suspended WR Martavis Bryant last year from the #Steelers
It only took an extra 5th round pick added to acquire the most productive WR in football, Antonio Brown, this year.
Steelers not even able to get a 2nd rounder is a bad look
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 10, 2019
I really like this deal for the Raiders; they did not have to give any of their first- or second-round picks. The Raiders still have a ton cap space and three first-round picks to add much-needed talent to there roster. It will be an exciting next season in Oakland with Brown on the team.
Hopefully, he will bring some much-needed life to the team. The Raiders have been struggling for years, so a big move like this was needed to try and turn the tables.
