Antonio Brown agrees to deal with Patriots just hours after Raiders finally had enough and released star WR
By Andy Clayton
Are you ready to have your mind blown?
Just hours after the Raiders finally dumped star wide receiver Antonio Brown amidst a drama-filled summer that featured one 'Can you believe it?' moment after another, Brown has joined forces with the Patriots. His agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the latest shocking twist.
Brown and the defending Super Bowl champs have reached an agreement on a 1-year deal worth up to $15 million that includes a $9 million signing bonus, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting.
Brown tweeted out an image of him in a Patriots uniform with the caption "LFG" and hashtag #GodsPlan.
LFG #GodsPlan pic.twitter.com/MflFD1MqoT
— AB (@AB84) September 7, 2019
He then posted a video of him celebrating the stunning turn of events on YouTube.
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"FREE!!" Brown shouts, before running outside. "IMFREEIMFREE AAHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHH LETS GO LETS GOO THE FREEDOM [garbled] GOT ME FIRED I CAN FREE. FLY LIKE AN EAGLE"
He ends the video with his grandmother on speakerphone.
"Grandma they freed me!"
"I told you!" she replies.
Antonio Brown gets his wish and is done with Oakland and headed to New England. (Jeff Chiu/AP)
Brown — who talked his way out of Pittsburgh after nine seasons and was traded to the Raiders in March for a pair of draft picks — will not be available when the Patriots open up against the Steelers on Sunday night. He is not eligible to be rostered until Monday.
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He had signed a three-year, $50.1 million deal with Oakland that included $30 million in guaranteed money before the relationship went off the rails.
The move caps an incredible 24 hours in the life of the NFL's most talked about player.
Just a day after it had appeared that the seven-time Pro Bowler and the Raiders had figured out a last-minute peace settlement that would have No. 84 on the field when the Raiders opened up on Monday night against the Broncos, everything fell apart again.
The Raiders made the divorce official on Saturday morning, and by releasing Brown he became an unrestricted free agent able to sign up with any team he wanted.
And that team was Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the dreaded New England Patriots.
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The Jets will likely have to face the four-time All-Pro in Week 3 when Gang Green visits Foxborough for an early season AFC East clash.
"We have exhausted everything," Raiders head coach Jon Gruden told reporters earlier in the day. "We tried everything we could to make it work with Antonio. I am very disappointed but very proud of this organization."
The final straw came after the Raiders reportedly fined Brown more than $215,000 on Friday night for his screaming match with rookie general manager Mike Mayock on Wednesday. The team then voided the more than $29 million in guaranteed money in his deal.
That prompted the veteran receiver to turn to Instagram on Saturday to demand his release.
"You are gonna piss a lot of people off when you start doing what's best for you," Brown wrote. "And that's fine! I have worked my whole life to prove that the system is blind to see talent like mines. Now that everyone sees it, they want me to conform to that same system that has failed me all those years.
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"I'm not mad at anyone. I'm just asking for the freedom to prove them all wrong."
He concluded his post with: "Release me" along with the hashtags #NoMore #theyputblindersonahorseforareason #NoMoreFake
Brown took one last shot at the Raiders, this time via Twitter.
"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth," AB posted.
This all comes a day after Brown reportedly issued "an emotional apology" during a team meeting on Friday morning in an effort to quash the drama that had been dominating NFL headlines since July. Gruden even said during Friday's practice that he expected Brown on the field for the season opener.
Again ... what a difference a few hours makes ... especially with Antonio Brown.
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