The Raiders release Antonio Brown — here’s everything you need to know
The drama between the Oakland Raiders and Antonio Brown reached its apex on Saturday morning, as Jon Gruden’s squad officially released the superstar wide receiver.
The Raiders have released WR Antonio Brown from the team today.
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) September 7, 2019
The surprising — if not shocking — move came in the wake of AB releasing a highly-produced video on YouTube Friday night that featured recorded audio from Gruden:
Antonio Brown JUST NOW posted this on YouTube. #RaiderNation, you need to watch this. pic.twitter.com/Z9LlsPczVV
— Raider Cody (@RaiderCody) September 7, 2019
… a video that Gruden reportedly found “awesome”. Apparently, that reaction by Chucky didn’t necessarily mean much, though.
More on @AB84 You Tube video: Raiders source says Gruden was truly amused by it and even thought it was “awesome.”
That’s all. Next.— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) September 7, 2019
Just hours before the move on Saturday, after being fined and having the guaranteed money in his contract revoked, AB took to Instagram with a simple request for the Raiders — “release me.”
And … wish granted!
Antonio Brown: “Release Me”
Bill Belichick: pic.twitter.com/8k5GALMlHB
— Randy Cruz (@randyjcruz) September 7, 2019
The entire offseason has been a rollercoaster for both Brown and the team, to say the least. He suffered a bizarre case of frostbitten feet due to chryotherapy gone wrong, and even his helmet choice was a point of contention during training camp.
In months, Brown burned bridges with two of the best fan bases in the entire NFL.
He also was traded and, now, released by arguably the two most “player-supportive” and understanding head coaches in the NFL.
In March an HC said, “If you can’t get along with Coach Tomlin…”
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) September 7, 2019
Timeline-wise, Brown becomes a pure free agent at 4:01 pm EST today.
Can sign for any amount of money with any team.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) September 7, 2019
For those asking: Antonio Brown is eligible to sign with another team as soon as 4:01 PM EST today.
But, no, he would *not* be eligible to play for another team that has a game tomorrow. By Week 2, yes.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 7, 2019
He was fined for missing practices, spoke out about the fines, and faced a potential suspension for a reported altercation with Raiders GM Mike Mayock.
Antonio Brown posts his displeasure with fines from #Raiders pic.twitter.com/0OMhdwFu7K
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 4, 2019
And it all ended with the former Steelers wide receiver as a free agent. According to Brown’s agent, AB will look to join a new NFL team as soon as possible:
Drew Rosenhaus: “Now that Antonio is a free agent, we are focused on the future and I will immediately work on signing him to a new team. Antonio is looking forward to a new beginning.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 7, 2019
While the pace at which things escalated this weekend was certainly remarkable, the writing was on the wall with this relationship — as Cris Carter explained this week:
Seriously, though — just over 24 hours ago, the expectation was that Brown would be suspended. 22 hours ago, Gruden confirmed Brown would play in Oakland’s season opener on Monday night:
#Raiders coach Jon Gruden now confirms: WR Antonio Brown won’t be suspended and will play Monday night. Quite a 24 hours.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 6, 2019
And now… here we are.
