UPDATE: Antonio Brown has reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the New England Patriots.
After weeks of off-season drama, the Oakland Raiders finally brought an end to Antonio Brown’s time with the team, releasing the 31-year-old on Saturday.
It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for Brown and the Raiders, and the events that have unfolded over the last few days and weeks undoubtedly damaged the star wide receiver’s reputation throughout the NFL.
But Brown is still a top-five (maybe top-three) wide receiver, coming off a 15-touchdown season in Pittsburgh. It’s likely, despite his erratic behaviour, Brown will be of interest to some wide receiver-needy teams.
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So which teams make the most sense for Antonio Brown, who becomes a free agent at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday?
Michael Ginnitti, co-founder and editor of Spotrac, laid out five interesting possibilities on Twitter following Brown’s release.
Using that list of teams, a fascinating handful of potential destinations, let’s break down why (or why not) they are fits for Brown.
Seattle Seahawks
The off-season retirement of Doug Baldwin has left the Seahawks in a precarious situation at wide receiver. Tyler Lockett projects as Russell Wilson’s No. 1 option heading into the season, but the 26-year-old speedster has never caught more than 57 passes in a season, doing so over 16 games in 2018.
The Seahawks drafted combine phenom D.K. Metcalf in the second round of last spring’s draft with hopes the 21-year-old could alleviate the concerns at the position immediately. And while early reviews have been positive, a pre-season knee injury has put his Week 1 health in question.
The addition of Brown would put the concerns at wide receiver in Seattle to bed, and a duo of No. 84 and Lockett is one that would put fear into any opposing secondary.
Could Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider handle AB? It’s tough to speculate, but the pair do have plenty of experience in dealing with big personalities from Seattle’s days boasting the Legion of Boom – cultivating those personalities to find unprecedented success in Seattle.
New England Patriots
This is the team that immediately comes to mind as the favourite destination for Brown.
Bill Belichick has a well-documented history of being able to mould previously me-first players to the Patriots’ team-first mentality – Hall of Famer Randy Moss being the most apt example in this situation. Not only could we see Brown joining New England to win a Super Bowl, but to stick it to his former teammates and coaches in Pittsburgh.
Granted, the wide receiver situation in New England is actually in better condition than previous years, with Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Demaryius Thomas and Josh Gordon topping the depth chart (plus, rookie Jakobi Meyers has garnered some praise). However, the loss of Rob Gronkowski is one the Patriots have yet to account for and the addition of Brown would most definitely help mitigate what could be a devastating loss for Tom Brady.
New York Giants
This destination makes sense from a personnel standpoint, but little more.
The Odell Beckham trade and the suspension of Golden Tate for the first four games of the season leaves Eli Manning (or Daniel Jones, depending on how Sunday goes) with little in the way of solid receiving options. Sterling Shepard should see a heavy load early on this season, and tight end Evan Engram is likely to get a lot of looks from Manning (or Jones).
Brown would be a massive upgrade to the Giants’ receiving corps, but we could easily envision Brown becoming quickly unsettled by the uncertain quarterback situation in the Big Apple and the fact that the playoffs seem like a long-shot at this point for the Giants. Plus, part of the reason New York parted ways with Beckham was because of the perceived negative impact he had on their offence. Brown would likely have the same type of impact.
And if we thought the media coverage of Brown was ridiculous over the last few days, just imagine what it would be like in New York.
Green Bay Packers
In a previous year, we would have thought this impossible as the Packers have been wont to steer clear of flashy free-agent signings like that of Brown. But this off-season saw Green Bay change its tone under general manager Brian Gutekunst, and the Packers were much more active in the free-agent market this past off-season than most.
And outside of Davante Adams, the Packers’ depth chart leaves plenty to be desired at wide receiver. Sophomores Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown could be the pass catchers of the future at Lambeau, but Valdes-Scantling is still a work in progress and St. Brown is out for the season due to an ankle injury.
Pairing Adams and Brown for the remainder of this season would give Aaron Rodgers the most dangerous receiving duo in the league and vault Green Bay into the already-crowded NFC contender conversation.
On the flip side, we could see a power struggle unfolding between the disgruntled wide receiver and his Hall of Fame-bound quarterback.
Buffalo Bills
We know the Bills have had interest in Brown, as general manager Brandon Beane attempted to acquire the All-Pro receiver in March before he was dealt to Oakland. Brown nixed the deal, of course, and the Bills went on to add Cole Beasley and John Brown to help sophomore quarterback Josh Allen take the next step in his development.
While Brown still makes sense for the Bills despite the additions of Beasley and Brown, we highly doubt Brown would now choose to go to Western New York after shunning them just six months ago.
