Whatever criticism that has arisen from the Raiders’ agreed-upon trade to get Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers has centered on the wide receiver’s unpredictable behavior.
Brown left the Steelers last season with the playoffs on the line in Week 17 and reportedly had issues with quarterback Ben Roeethlisberger as well as occasional missed meetings.
And here come the Raiders and coach Jon Gruden, throwing an extra $30 million guaranteed into the pot after getting Brown for a mere pittance of third- and fifth-round draft picks.
Surely if the Steelers were giving Brown away at that price, and also absorbing a $21 million cap hit in terms of dead money, the relationship between team and player had become horribly fractured.