Oakland Raiders a favorite to land Antonio Brown for 2019
By Brad Weiss
Pittsburgh Steelers star wideout Antonio Brown big farewell to the team on Twitter on Tuesday, and the Oakland Raiders are a favorite to land him.
The Oakland Raiders definitely have a need at wide receiver, after finishing the 2018 NFL season with veteran Jordy Nelson atop their depth chart. Behind Nelson was guys like Seth Roberts, Marcell Ateman, and Brandon LaFell, which certainly are not the names they want to go into 2019 with in a starting role.
Nelson is slated to be back in the Silver and Black next season, which makes sense, after finishing the 2018 season strong. With Amari Cooper shipped to Dallas for a first round draft pick, the Raiders may decide to use that pick on a wide receiver, though they may not have to wait until the 2019 NFL Draft to do so.
The Raiders hold three first round picks in April, including the No. 4 overall selection, and two late first rounders due to trades. The trade for Cooper ended up landing the Raiders pick No. 27 overall, which is a selection that could use to bring in Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Tuesday, Brown basically ended his career in the Steel City, and he bid farewell to the organization on Twitter. That sent the Twitter universe ablaze, as fans from all over the NFL started pining for his services for the 2019 NFL season.
While many teams would like Brown to be their top wideout in 2019, the Raiders are actually seen as a favorite to get him.
Current odds to acquire Antonio Brown have the #Niners, #Jets, & #Raiders as the favorites. All 3 are Top 7 in cap space heading toward March. https://t.co/dJfnfe0bPt
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 12, 2019
Out of all the teams in the NFL, the Raiders not only have the assets to acquire Brown, but also are one of the teams with the most need. Head coach Jon Gruden loves him some players who are up there in age, and in Brown, he would be getting a wide receiver that is still playing at a Pro Bowl level.
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Of course, the last time he was here, Gruden made it work with veteran wide receivers in Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. Brown will be 31-years old when the 2019 NFL season kicks off, putting him right in Gruden’s wheelhouse, but the Raiders should stay away from using such draft assets on an aging wide receiver this time around.