Antonio Brown’s time with the Oakland Raiders will probably end before it really ever started.
It has been widely reported that the wide receiver got into a spat with general manager Mike Mayock on Wednesday after the Raiders sent Brown a letter saying he was being fined. It also has been widely reported that the Raiders plan to suspend Brown.
But it might not end there. This clash could become much uglier. Even though Brown signed a three-year contract worth a little more than $30 million with the Raiders after being acquired from Pittsburgh in the offseason — and that $30 million supposedly is guaranteed — this episode is probably not going to end well for Brown or the Raiders.
Here are seven reasons why Brown might never play a regular-season game for the Raiders:
7. Antonio Brown is a prima donna
The Raiders knew this when they acquired him. He already had a prima donna reputation when he was in Pittsburgh. But that’s not unusual. In general, star wide receivers are prima donnas. Think about the likes of Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin and Steve Smith Sr., just to name a few. Generally, the better a wide receiver is, the more of a prima donna he is. Even though Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver ever, was publicly viewed as a team player, there are plenty of people around the NFL that will tell you he had a selfish streak. Wide receivers are simply different, and Brown is very different.
6. Antonio Brown has been nothing but a distraction in Oakland
It’s been nothing but distractions since Brown came to the Raiders. It was revealed that he suffered severe frostbite on his feet while getting cryotherapy treatment during the offseason. He missed part of training camp because of that. He also got into a tiff with the NFL because he wanted to wear his old helmet even though it wasn’t up to current league standards. And the argument with general manager Mike Mayock might have been the tipping point. Teams don’t like distractions, but they sometimes give a pass to a great player. Brown is a great player, but he might have gone too far.
5. Mike Mayock is coach Jon Gruden’s guy
You have to understand the power structure of the Raiders. They’ve always been unique. For years, owner Al Davis was a maverick and totally ran the show. Davis even had a lot of the same personality traits of wide receivers. He wasn’t afraid to buck the system. After Davis died, his son, Mark, took over as owner. But Mark Davis is, by no means, Al Davis. Mark Davis is much less flamboyant than his father. When Mark Davis lured Gruden out of the broadcast booth last year, he basically handed all power over to the coach. Almost instantly, Gruden ran former general manager Reggie McKenzie out of town and replaced him with Mayock, who had been working for years as a broadcaster for NFL Network.
It was basically the same thing Gruden did to general manager Rich McKay soon after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in Gruden as their coach. Even though the Bucs won a Super Bowl with Gruden and McKay, the coach used his power to get rid of McKay and replace him with his close friend Bruce Allen. Gruden is very big on loyalty and power. He viewed McKay and McKenzie as threats. He viewed Allen as a buddy, and it’s the same with Mayock. Gruden is always going to take the side of his buddies.
4. Jon Gruden is unique
I covered Gruden in his last season (2008) in Tampa Bay when I wrote about the NFC South for ESPN. We didn’t have a lot of interaction. But I got to know him well after he left the Bucs and started working for ESPN. One of my assignments was to cover his show, “Gruden’s QB Camp.” My job was to ghost write Gruden’s scouting report on each quarterback that came through the camp. It was an easy task because Gruden was a great quote. All I had to do was transcribe what he said after the interviews. I only had to write a few transition sentences and clean up some language.
But Gruden tested me on the first morning we started the project. As I walked in, he pulled up everything he perceived as negative that I had written about him in the past on his computer screen. He then read it all to me and, really, there weren’t all that many negative things because he had won a Super Bowl and, generally, had done well in Tampa Bay. But I heard the whole litany.
I felt like we were off to a bad start. But, then, he surprised me and said something like, “I guess you’re not too bad. I can work with you. We’re teammates now.” And, after that, we were teammates. Gruden was great to deal with. Yes, the man had some flaws, but he also was brilliant and showed me a really good side. He gave me his cell number and told me to call him anytime. We got along extremely well, and the experience was one of the best of my career. But it also was obvious that you should never cross Gruden, because he thrives on holding all the power.
3. Just ask Keyshawn Johnson about Jon Gruden
There’s no doubt Johnson was one of those prima donna receivers. He had a massive ego. But the man certainly could catch a football. He enjoyed two 1,000-yard receiving seasons in Tampa Bay. But in 2003, his ego clashed with Gruden’s. The coach showed his power and deactivated Johnson for the final seven games of the season and then traded him to the Dallas Cowboys.
In fairness to Gruden, it must be pointed out that the coach isn’t the only one to have a problem with Johnson’s ego. Johnson spent the 2006 season with the Carolina Panthers, and he and fellow wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. battled wildly for attention. In one game late in the season, quarterback Jake Delhomme was intercepted on a pass attempt to Johnson. After the game, Johnson told the media the pass was Delhomme’s fault. In reality, Johnson ran the wrong route. Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, a former NFL receiver, took note. After the season, Richardson cut Johnson, and the receiver’s career was over.
2. Or ask Joey Galloway about Jon Gruden
Gruden is known for being notoriously tough on his quarterbacks. But he also has a history with wide receivers. and it’s not limited to the Keyshawn Johnson episode. In 2008, Gruden was in his final season with Tampa Bay. Galloway had been a stud in the three previous seasons. But in training camp, the wide receiver was dealing with an injury that severely limited his practice time. Gruden didn’t think the injury was all that serious.
In fact, on the rare occasions that Galloway practiced, Gruden made mention of a sighting of the “white tiger,” an animal that is uncommon in nature. Galloway appeared in only nine games that season.
1. The deck is stacked against Antonio Brown
Yes, Brown’s $30 million contract is supposedly guaranteed. But every NFL contract contains language regarding “conduct detrimental to the team.” Arguing with Mayock certainly seems to fit into that category. If the Raiders were to simply cut Brown without cause, they would take a $30 million cap hit this year –and that would be disastrous. But there are ways for the Raiders to get out of Browns deal. Mainly by invoking the “conduct detrimental to the team’’ clause. That should put them totally in the clear in terms of cause. And, despite the fact Gruden is the one who brought Brown to Oakland, the coach is going to stick to his personality. Mayock is his guy. You never cross Gruden, and Brown seemingly has passed the point of no return.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
