Brown to the Raiders
After an offseason of drama, the Pittsburgh Steelers have parted ways with Antonio Brown, agreeing to trade him to the Oakland Raiders for a pair of draft picks.
There were some reports that the Steelers would be sending Antonio Brown to the Buffalo Bills late last week, but Brown had nixed the deal. Now, Pittsburgh and Oakland have reached an agreement to send Brown in exchange for a 2019 3rd round and 5th round pick. Brown also will be getting a re-structured deal that will give him another $30 million-plus guaranteed.
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Raiders are now listed with 75/1 odds to win the Super Bowl in the 2019 season. The Steelers are currently listed with 25/1 odds, which is actually equal with the Cleveland Browns. When it comes to winning the AFC Championship, Oakland is currently listed with 35/1 odds while Pittsburgh has 12/1 odds.
Brown has played nine seasons in the NFL and has racked up 837 receptions for 11,207 yards with 74 touchdowns. He has had over 1,100 yards in seven of his nine seasons and double-digit touchdowns in four of the nine, including 15 in 2018.
The Oakland Raiders add Brown to a passing offense that ranked 18th in the NFL last season at 234 yards per game. Oakland actually was led in receiving by tight end Jared Cook. The leading receiver was veteran Jordy Nelson, who had 739 yards and just three touchdowns.
Along with the loss of Brown, the Steelers aren’t going to have Le’Veon Bell back, so they lose two dynamic pieces of their offense. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the team in receiving last year with 111 catches for 1,426 yards.