After pretty much telling the Buffalo Browns that he WOULD NOT come play for them, Brown has reportedly been traded to the Oakland Raiders.
While the deal can't become official until the start of the league year on March 13, the speculation is that the deal is all but done.
On top of the trade to Oakland, the Raiders are giving Antonio Brown a pretty signifigant raise. Brown will now be playing under a reworked deal worth $50.1 million over three years (max value of $54.1 million) with $30.1 million guaranteed. (per USA Today)
This will make Antonio Brown the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, but for how long? At $16.7 million per year (potentially $18 million), Antonio Brown will be making a little over $2 million more than Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones' average yearly salary of $14.25 million. ($2.9 million was moved from 2019 to 2018 and a new deal is being worked)
There's no doubt that Julio Jones is a top-5 wide receiver in the NFL, and now there is a new benchmark set by Brown. Will the Falcons be able to find a way to pay Julio Jones $17 million plus? They have already slapped Grady Jarrett with the franchise tag for the 2019 season (worth $15.2 million) after not being able to come to terms, so that's not an option.
Will Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan be asked to defer money, a la Tom Brady? Would he even entertain the thought?
Sam Crenshaw and Greg Clarkson explore this more on "Weekend Mornings".
