Antonio Brown Mega-Thread

[ralmat55]

This could not have worked out better for the Patriots. The Steelers lose their most dynamic playmaker for the paltry return of a 3rd and 5th. And, the Raiders add a playmaker who might help them win a game against both the Chiefs and Chargers hurting those teams chances of a bye and home field.

 

[HailHydra]

The Raiders are astoundingly inconsistent. They trade away Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack - two players that were in their primes (or in the case of Cooper, about to hit his prime soon) but Gruden trades for a 30 year old Brown. AND he gives him a free $30 mill guaranteed, and on top of that, a pretty $14 million extra on top of the original contract. That's idiotic. What a horrible culture.

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

Steelers board is pure gold right now.

 

[Pessimistic Pete]

2019,2020,2021 the Bears are paying Mack (28,29,30 years) $50m

2019,2020,2021 the Raiders are paying Brown (31,32,33 years) $50m

Which one would you rather have for the next 3 years for $50m? It's easily Mack right?

You forgot that the second option also includes 2 additional first round draft picks

Not to mention the Raiders defense was trash his entire tenure there while the Steelers have had an elite offense every year with Brown. Guy is a total clown but I can see him having more of a tangible impact.

Guy averaged a receiving TD a game last year...

 

[ausbacker]

The Raiders are astoundingly inconsistent. They trade away Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack - two players that were in their primes (or in the case of Cooper, about to hit his prime soon) but Gruden trades for a 30 year old Brown. AND he gives him a free $30 mill guaranteed, and on top of that, a pretty $14 million extra on top of the original contract. That's idiotic. What a horrible culture.

Cooper and Mack are extremely talented but terribly inconsistent. Brown, although he's something of a Prima Donna, gives you results almost every game. You've also got to consider the marketing impact and the optics with Vegas on the horizon.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

What an epic trade loss for the Steelers, if that turns out to be correct. They would have been better off just mothballing Brown. It could at least have served the purpose of dissuading others.

In retrospect, if they’d asked Brown for a list of teams he’d play for (since his attitude and willingness to go somewhere else are major factors in his value), gotten a list of some teams, told him which teams they’d be willing to trade him to, and had his agent see which teams could work out contractually, this would have been completely different. First round pick if not more. Instead they overlooked his leverage in intentionally turning potential suitors off and this was an epic disaster. Based on the contract from Oakland, the Raiders should be out multiple high picks. Absurd split between the player’s value (in terms of contract from new team) and draft pick compensation. Steelers with one of the worst played hands I can remember.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Brown was the rare player that received the Pats CB1 and safety help at times whether it was Butler or Gilmore. The pass rush has looked mediocre vs. Pitt’s elite OL since it’s been tough to blitz them with AB/Bryant & AB/Juju on the field.

BB can now double team Schuster & have Gilmore lockdown the WR2. That matchup should be much easier than the last two years.

 

[HailHydra]

Cooper and Mack are extremely talented but terribly inconsistent. Brown, although he's something of a Prima Donna, gives you results almost every game. You've also got to consider the marketing impact and the optics with Vegas on the horizon.

Brown had a regression last season. His production was a result of him being forced balls by Big Ben to keep him satisfied. Throwing to Brown, Ben had a 61% completion rate and threw 10 INTs. Everyone else? 70% and 6 INTs. In a year, Amari Cooper has a very good chance to be a better WR than Antonio Brown, who turns 31. In 3 years, Cooper seems almost sure to be superior.

You also don't just pay players under contract "free money" to keep them happy. What kind of message does that send? You don't pay elite players like Mack, but shell out money to the WR who makes headlines for being egotistical? Khalil Mack is by no means terribly inconsistent - he had just 4 games without a sack. That's rather consistent if you ask me. There isn't a single DE in the league that gets a sack every single week.

 

[supafly]

Brown was the rare player that received the Pats CB1 and safety help at times whether it was Butler or Gilmore. The pass rush has looked mediocre vs. Pitt’s elite OL since it’s been tough to blitz them with AB/Bryant & AB/Juju on the field.

BB can now double team Schuster & have Gilmore lockdown the WR2. That matchup should be much easier than the last two years.

It “should” definitely be easier, but I’ll need to wait and see what they do in free agency + the draft prior to getting too excited. After all, that team has a pattern of seeing good receivers fall into their laps.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

3rd and 5th round picks given up apparently?

Edit: Beware, it's another rapaport report! Could be wrong.

 

[ausbacker]

Brown had a regression last season. His production was a result of him being forced balls by Big Ben to keep him satisfied. Throwing to Brown, Ben had a 61% completion rate and threw 10 INTs. Everyone else? 70% and 6 INTs.

So it's Brown's fault Roethlisberger was throwing the ball to him? Forgive me for having no problem with a QB choosing to throw the ball to a perennial All Pro. Nobody but the QB makes the decision to throw a ball to a receiver. Also, it's awfully convenient when short dump off passes out of the backfield are counted on the stats sheet.

In a year, Amari Cooper has a very good chance to be a better WR than Antonio Brown, who turns 31. In 3 years, Cooper seems almost sure to be superior.

He may well be and I admit to being a Cooper fan but until proven otherwise, AB is the superior player.

You also don't just pay players under contract "free money" to keep them happy. What kind of message does that send?

The cost of acquisition for the Raiders is incredibly low. The contractual additions to facilitate the trade appear to be the offset.

You don't pay elite players like Mack, but shell out money to the WR who makes headlines for being egotistical? Khalil Mack is by no means terribly inconsistent - he had just 4 games without a sack. That's rather consistent if you ask me. There isn't a single DE in the league that gets a sack every single week.

2017 - 7 games with no sacks, 2016 - 7 games with no sacks, 2015 - 7 games with no sacks. I appreciate there is more that goes into playing defense than sacks but if your measure of consistency is the amount of games without a sack, you're left sorely lacking. I think Mack is a tremendous player and personally, I probably would have paid him but the Raiders got good return for him and decided to go in a different direction. As it stands, they may potentially land their Mack replacement at the top of the draft for pennies on Mack's contract.

I have no problem with what the Raiders have done. They're in a fine draft position and have brought in an all world talent for next to nothing. To me, that is good business. Whether or not they blow it in the draft is the next step.

 

[carmelo15]

Haha come on Pitt

 

[rochrist]

Steelers fans are consoling themselves that the 3rd and the 5th are /almost/ a 2d and a 4th.

 

[PF_SU]

In a year, Amari Cooper has a very good chance to be a better WR than Antonio Brown, who turns 31. In 3 years, Cooper seems almost sure to be superior.

Let's wait and see if Cooper can consistently play like he did with the Cowboys in the 9 games he spent there before declaring him sure to be superior to AB. The Amari Cooper of the last two years with Oakland was mostly trash.

 

[JMC00]

Brown was the rare player that received the Pats CB1 and safety help at times whether it was Butler or Gilmore. The pass rush has looked mediocre vs. Pitt’s elite OL since it’s been tough to blitz them with AB/Bryant & AB/Juju on the field.

BB can now double team Schuster & have Gilmore lockdown the WR2. That matchup should be much easier than the last two years.

Did you even watch the game this year? Brown and Smith-Schuster were held to under 100 yards combined and Roethlisberger was pressued on something like 40% of his dropbacks

 

[edkk323]

You forgot that the second option also includes 2 additional first round draft picks

Not to mention the Raiders defense was trash his entire tenure there while the Steelers have had an elite offense every year with Brown. Guy is a total clown but I can see him having more of a tangible impact.

Guy averaged a receiving TD a game last year...

If you include the Copper trade, they are 3 additional first rounds and one 3rd. If Raiders can land some impact players with their first rounds, the fifth year options should really put them over the top.
These three transactions are great for the Raiders. But they probably need to replace Carr soon.

 

[VJCPatriot]

As I predicted, AB fetched only a 3rd round pick, with a 5th kicked in as extra sweetener from the Raiders.

The crazy thing is the bonus money though. Reportedly Oakland is paying up 30m in guaranteed monies to Brown and he can earn up to 51m in 3 years if he hits incentives.

The money is way too rich for my blood. Enjoy losing in Oakland, AB, but you definitely got the bonus money and very nice weather state to live in.

 

[edkk323]

As I predicted, AB fetched only a 3rd round pick, with a 5th kicked in as extra sweetener from the Raiders.

The crazy thing is the bonus money though. Reportedly Oakland is paying up 30m in guaranteed monies to Brown and he can earn up to 51m in 3 years if he hits incentives.

The money is way too rich for my blood. Enjoy losing in Oakland, AB, but you definitely got the bonus money and very nice weather state to live in.

The Raiders need somebody to sell tickets and get some attraction as they are moving to Vegas. This is not a bad transaction. It makes a lot of sense. They have to pay some one.

 

[24Law]

IMO, Antonio Brown is a better player than Khalil Mack. The age factor is irrelevant.

Agree. But then we have his personality..