The Antonio Brown Saga has finally ended. And it ended with a total victory for Mr. Big Chest. He got traded to the Raiders and got a load of extra money, from 0 guaranteed to 30.125 million guaranteed, and his max earnings went to a huge 54.125 million over the next three years. Antonio Brown, against all odds, despite kicking and screaming his way out of Pittsburgh, and his numerous legal issues, locker room blow ups and worst of all missing a crucial game, got exactly what he wanted. More money, and life on a different team despite recently signing a contract extension. And you have to wonder if this is sign of new times in the NFL. For years, NFL teams had most of the power. They had franchise tags and didn't have to guarantee much money at all, they had most if not all the leverage. And it's not just this one incident that shows players have more pull than ever. Leveon Bell also just got his way, sitting out a whole year and managed to get himself off the Steelers as well; how much money he gets is yet to be seen. Kirk Cousins signed a massive fully guaranteed contract with the Vikings last year, one of the very few fully guaranteed deals in NFL history. Drew Rosenhaus must be beaming in his mansion. It used to be acting out like Brown did, right in the middle of your deal, was unthinkable. But we see it worked for AB. He was able to refuse to be traded to the Bills by threatening to sit out, and all but forced the Steelers to trade him at way below his value. Pittsburgh started out this journey wanting at least a first. They ended up letting him go for a 3rd and 5th, a paltry sum for the best receiver in the league the past 5 years. How soon will it be before we see more players do this? It is shown to work, and work well. And not just in Football. Considering how the Anthony Davis drama played out, will we be shocked to see the next AD whine his way out of his contract? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but as a fan of the TEAM, not any one player, this concerns me. Players going easy on their last year of a deal is one thing. Forcing your way out in the middle of a contract is another. I wouldn't want Antonio Brown on my team. But how long until everyone is Antonio Brown?
PS: I can't believe the Steelers let him go for so little. To me, they come off as the ultimate losers, and they come off looking extremely weak. Maybe they considered the Leveon Bell situation a failed experiment, but letting him walk for that little was shocking. Call me petty, but after the stunt AB pulled I wouldn't lower my price at all if I was an owner. If he sits the whole year, fine by me.