Did Antonio Brown intentionally sabotage his stint in Oakland?
According to ESPN, the wide receiver "sought out advice from social media consultants" for ideas that would ultimately help him "accelerate his release with Raiders" so he could sign elsewhere.
Brown also sought out advice from social media consultants for ideas on how he accelerate his release with Raiders. The first blow was posting the letter from Mike Mayock informing him of fines that included “conduct detriment,” which led to the next day confrontation
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) September 8, 2019
Just hours after getting his wish, Brown reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots, the one team the Steelers had refused to negotiate with back in March when discussions to trade the disgruntled veteran first began. That leads to growing speculation that Brown's move to New England didn't just happen out of the blue.
His eventual signing with one of Pittsburgh's biggest rivals in the AFC is the Steelers' worst nightmare imagined, but was it inevitable?
Sure, Brown's offseason and preseason were tumultuous to say the least. And Brown's agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN on Saturday that the seven-time Pro Bowl selection "had a lot of options" after the Raiders cut ties with him.
"Antonio had a robust free-agent market and certainly had a lot of options," Rosenhaus said. "But it was hard to compete with New England and that amazing opportunity, that great franchise, and play with one of the all-time greats, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick."
But Brown's reaction to being released by Oakland, which he posted on YouTube, is suspicious enough to make fans wonder if he had determined his next move beforehand.
"In this crazy world I have to surround myself with winners. People who protect me. People that in just as much work as me. People who respect me as a human. Time to show out!" Brown wrote on YouTube.
The Patriots have yet to announce the deal, but Rosenhaus confirmed the one-year contract is worth up to $15 million and includes a $9 million signing bonus, another $1 million guaranteed and $5 million in incentives.
Brown won't be eligible to play in Sunday's regular-season opener, which ironically is against the Steelers, but all eyes will be on New England this week as he settles in with his new squad and gets accustomed to the "Patriot Way."