Antonio Brown Signs With New England Patriots

Antonio Brown started Saturday morning as a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders, but the situation has now changed. He was released by the team after calling for a change on Instagram, and now he is heading back to the east coast. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brown has agreed to terms with the New England Patriots. He will be joining quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick in their pursuit of another appearance in the Super Bowl.

When he was released, this move was the expected outcome. There were thousands of jokes made about Brown simply joining the Patriots because Belichick is the only man in the NFL that can successfully deal with Brown’s personality and ability to create drama on a very routine basis. That theory will now be put to the test.

According to reports, this deal is worth up to $15 million and includes a $9 million signing bonus. This is critical for Brown considering that the Raiders voided the $30 million in guaranteed money due to conduct detrimental to the team. The Silver and Black didn’t pay their former receiver a single cent during his very brief tenure with the team, and now the Patriots will be reaping the reward. Of course, that all is dependent upon Brown fitting in with this locker room and behaving.

Saturday morning, Brown posted a message on Instagram in which he said that “You are going to piss a lot of people off when you start doing what’s best for you.” Again, nothing too out of the ordinary for the veteran, but what really made this post surprising is that he called for the Oakland Raiders to release him. This is quite the change a mere day after he stepped in front of the team and apologized for his behavior before telling reporters that he was ready to play for the organization and the fans. What changed?

According to Adam Schefter, the biggest change in the situation is that the Raiders fined Brown for conduct detrimental to the team. He received a $215,073.53 fine on Friday night for an incident on September 4, which is when his altercation with general manager Mike Mayock occurred. This move voided the remaining $29.125 million worth of guaranteed money in his contract and set the stage for his eventual release.

With Brown signing so late, he will not be eligible to play in week one’s battle with his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, he will have to wait until the second game of the season to officially suit up as a member of the New England Patriots. Will Brown make it more than a week without creating drama in Foxborough, or will this storyline continue to dominate social media?

The Antonio Brown saga rolls on.