The seven-time Pro Bowl receiver requested his release after the team allegedly waived $ 30 million in guaranteed salaries.
American football wide receiver Antonio Brown
Brown has agreed to a deal with the New England Patriots on the same day he was released by the Oakland Raiders, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's MJ Acosta reported, per a source. The deal is for one-year, $15 million, Rapoport reported, with a $9 million signing bonus
Antonio Brown posted a message on his Instagram account on Saturday requesting that he be released by the Raiders.
Even by the brutal, ego-driven standards of the NFL labor market, Antonio Brown's half-year with the Raiders at Redland was one for the books.
Over the past two months, one of the most talented wide receivers in the league posted pictures of his torn legs online, refused to switch to a new football helmet, used an Instagram post to release from his team And, Measure for Good, posted a YouTube video with a cryptic telephone call to, it seems, his now-former coach.
Released by the Patriots signing With the Patriots
Even for the Raiders, a team known for feuding controversy, the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver was too much. The Raiders convey their wishes to Brown and release him.
Hours later, in another sign that one team's problem is the ability of the other team, Brown reached a one-year, $ 15 million deal with the New England Patriots, the other team known for giving players a second chance with problems. is. Brown, assuming a physical pass, will play alongside Josh Gordon, a talented wide receiver who has been suspended for violating the league's drug policy.
In the modern NFL, with their salary cap, mostly non-guaranteed contracts and excessive pressure to win, teams can easily cut players seen as disruptive, taking those players on the rebound door for other teams. She opens.
Stone appears to be with Brown, who sat outside most of the training camp, and when he was present, allegedly fined the team the general manager of the team imposed for his absence.
The Patriots are far from the first team to turn a dice on a suspected player. Terryl Owens, another talented receiver, welcomes him to five cities en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Chad Johnson, who changed his name to Auccinco to match the uniform number 85, was known for the circus passing by during his decade with the Cincinnati Bengals. (Perhaps appropriately, he finished his career with the Patriots.)
Adam "Packman" Jones missed an entire season for violating the league's individual conduct policy, still playing well into his mid-30s. Teams, after all, need defensive backs. One-time raider Sebastian Janikowski has pulled away from the law during his long career field goal.
Brown, however, set a new standard because of how short his tenure in Oakland was, and because of how often internal problems were met in the public.
Brown signed a three-year extension with a $ 30 million guarantee following his acquisition from Pittsburgh in March for two draft picks. Hope was in the air.
He then reported to training camp with an unknown leg injury and posted his badly trapped photo on Instagram peeling off the legs. In the image, Brown wore a big smile. Reports, particularly on NFL.com, stated that Brown entered the cryogenic therapy room without proper footwear and got frostbite.
Brown then refused to practice because the helmet he liked in the off-season was banned by the NFL and the players' union because it and other models did not meet safety standards. This week Brown announced via video on the helmet-making website that he had found a replacement.
Brown objected afresh when the team fined him approximately $ 54,000 for failure to practice with the team, and other violations. He posted a picture on social media of the letter in which he was fined. Brown and general manager Mike Maycock reportedly argued about the fine. On Thursday, some media reported that Brown had threatened Maycock, and the team was considering suspending the receiver for several games.
On Friday, the Raiders downplayed controversy and head coach John Gruden said the Browns would side with the Raiders when they opened the season against the Broncos.
Brown posted a message on his Instagram account on Saturday morning stating that he was misunderstood and unhappy, and wanted to move on. "Release me @Raiders #NOMore," he wrote.
She then posted a video on YouTube showing a tapped phone conversation between the wide receiver and Gruden. Gruden is heard asking Brown if he wanted to be a raider and if he was ready to play. Brown said he was a raider and worked hard. It is unclear whether Gruden knew he was being recorded, or whether he authorized its use. ESPN later reported that Gruden was "really happy" by the video and thought it was "terrible".
Now Brown, who built his reputation during his nine years with the Steelers, has agreed to a contract with the Patriots, according to Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus. The Bleacher Report was the first reported Brown would sign with the Patriots. New England did not respond to a request for comment.
The Raiders would move on without their predecessor receiver. Gruden told reporters that he is "disappointed" things did not work with Brown. "We did everything to make this work," he said.
In general, players who agree on terms with a team must physically sign their contract and be eligible to start playing before. Which may take days. Looking at Brown's recent track record, nothing can be taken for granted.