We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the prospect of Antonio Brown going to San Francisco.
Former Redskins general manager Charley Casserly seems to think we were close but are looking at the wrong team in the Bay Area.
My thoughts on Antonio Brown @steelers and would I trade for him. Possible landing spots for him @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/i9elNY3zC4
— Charley Casserly (@CharleyCasserly) February 19, 2019
Albert Breer on “Monday Morning Quarterback” echoed that idea.
A.B. in Oakland with Jon Gruden? This seems to fit on so many levels.
Think about it. You have a reality-detached renegade with a blonde mustache shipped out to the NFL’s island of misfit toys before a move to Las Vegas.
I can see billboards of “Ronald” on The Strip as we speak. Picturing Brown in Silver and Black is almost as easy as seeing him in Black and Gold.
Plus, we know he’ll clash with Gruden. That’ll be typical Raiders on so many levels. I’d love to see the battles between Chucky and Mr. Big Chest.
Derek Carr will froth at the mouth to get a receiving option like A.B. Tight end Jared Cook was the best pass-catcher on the club last season with 896 yards and six touchdowns.
His top receiver was Jordy Nelson. He had only three scores and 739 yards. Brown had 15 TDs and 1,297 yards in a “down” year.
The Raiders have three first-round picks to deal. If they don’t want to give up one for Brown, they could use one to trade down and spend additional second- or third-round currency to get him instead.
Beyond that, only five teams in the league have more cap space than the Raiders. The team has 23 unrestricted free agents who may move on, as well.
No, trading Brown to Oakland wouldn’t accomplish the goal of getting him out of the conference. But if recent history has taught us anything, the Raiders don’t need good players to beat the Steelers anyway. So what’s the difference?
The Steelers don’t play the Raiders next year. Brown may melt his way out of the league by the time he is scheduled to face the Steelers again.
Bouncing A.B. out of the division is a good thing. Plus, for the portion of the fan base — and maybe the front office — looking to punish Brown on the way out the door, exporting him to the “Black Hole” may be as close as they can get.
