The Antonio Brown Saga has finally come to an end. On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders agreed to a trade that sends Antonio Brown to the Raiders in exchange for a pair of draft picks in this year’s draft (3rd round, 5th round).
As a part of the trade agreement, wide out Antonio Brown will receive a new contract, paying the 30-year-old $50 million over the next three seasons.
With the trade, the Raiders will be receiving the most productive receiver of the last nine seasons. Antonio Brown has had 1,000+ receiving yards in seven of his nine seasons in his career, including catching 104 passes for 1,297 yards and 15 TD’s last season. His 15 receiving TDs was enough to lead the NFL last season.
Antonio Brown will automatically make the Raiders a better team on the offensive end. Expect boosted numbers for Raiders wideout Jordy Nelson next season, as playing across from Antonio Brown is bound to free him up a bit. With Antonio Brown offering multiple ways to burn a secondary, look for Oakland quarterback Derek Carr to have an improved season as well. Carr was underwhelming in his fifth season at the helm in Oakland, throwing a career low 19 touchdowns last season.
With Antonio Brown out of the picture in Pittsburgh, a number of names have been tossed around as possible replacements for the seven time pro bowler. JuJu Smith-Schuster will look to have another big year next season, and will likely replace some of the missing production at wideout. Veterans like Golden Tate and Demaryius Thomas have also been rumored to be targets for the Steelers, as the process of replacing Antonio Brown begins.
