The story is over and it’s time to finally move on. For the Steelers it was a long and difficult story, especially at the end. Late last night before the clocks surged forward the Steelers completed a trade to send estranged wide receiver Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders for third and fifth round picks in the upcoming NFL draft. The trade will not become official until Wednesday, but for all in tensive purposes it is all over.
This crazy final chapter began Thursday night into Friday morning when reports leaked of a possible deal being done between the Steelers and the Buffalo Bills for Brown, but the trade fell through. Not because of poor negotiating, but basically because Brown would have refused to play or to even to show up if traded there. Obviously, Buffalo quickly dropped out of talks with Pittsburgh, leaving the front office to find another suitor.
Fast forward 24 hours and Brown finally had what he wanted. The diva receiver got his wish of being traded out of Pittsburgh, to a destination he prefers, that will give him a new contract. Reportedly, the self-proclaimed “Mr. Big Chest” will be signed by Oakland to a three-year deal worth $54.1 million, with $30 million of it being guaranteed.
Without a doubt, Antonio Brown was one of the most gifted wide receivers to ever dawn the black and gold, and I thank him for his many years as a Steeler. I will always remember plays like the immaculate extension against Baltimore, and any “Toni Toe Tap” plays he would make. However, the way his tenure ended will always leave a sour taste in the mouths of Steelers fans. Giving up on his team, pointing the finger at everyone but himself, going on interviews bad mouthing his coach and quarterback, AB definitely burned every bridge in Pittsburgh (no pun intended).
If the 31 year-old receivers goal was to win a Super Bowl, he just hit a major road block. His new QB, Derek Carr, can be simply described as highly paid but barely proven. Carr cashed in on one good season with the Raiders with a 5-year, $125 million deal, but he has yet to be able to play anywhere near the level he did in 2016 which earned him his big payday. Carr and the Raiders are coming off of a 4-12 season, and are 10-22 sign signing Carr to his monster deal. They also sit in the same division as the upward trending Los Angeles Chargers, and last season’s powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders were never able to maximize the play of one Amari Cooper, who fared much better catching passes from Dak Prescott, who is not known for being the most elite passer in the league.
Their wide receiver depth takes a major drop after aging and often injured Jordy Nelson, and running back depth is even shallower with Jalen Richard and Doug Martin. Pro Football Focus ranked the Raiders offensive line at 28thin the league, with their tackles alone allowing 26 sacks last season. To put that into perspective the Steelers as a whole gave up 24 sacks last season. To top things off the Raiders are still not sure where they’ll be playing next season, as the city of Oakland filed an antitrust lawsuit against the team, due to their impending move to Las Vegas.
As far as where the Steelers stand, their house is officially clear of two of the most outspokenly egotistical players in recent NFL history in Bell and Brown, allowing them to focus on the future of the franchise. Free agency begins this week, and the Steelers should be in the market for an established veteran receiver to flank young receivers Juju Smith-Schuster and James Washington. Some names available that would make that fit are Golden Tate, Randall Cobb, and Danny Amendola among others. Tate even took to twitter to show his interest in joining the Steelers.
On the down side of things for Pittsburgh is a less than stellar return of only a third and a fifth round pick from Oakland. Not to mention a $21 million hole in the salary cap as dead cap space due to the departure of Antonio Brown, the largest such sum in NFL history, but they will not have to pay him his $2.5 million roster bonus that he was due on March 17th. The main thing is that the saga has ended with Antonio Brown as a Raider. The Steelers can now focus on bringing in players, and improving the ones here, that will help them get back to the playoffs and restore the Pittsburgh Steelers standard as a perennial top team in the AFC and the NFL as a whole.
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