Will Antonio Brown produce the same with the Oakland Raiders?

The Oakland Raiders made a huge splash by bringing in All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown, but will he be as productive in the Silver and Black.

With their first big move of the offseason, the Oakland Raiders swung a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver Antonio Brown. With an elite weapon at the top of the position group, the expectation is that this Raiders offense will take a major step forward in 2019.

It is no question that Antonio Brown has been one of the best receivers in all of football for years, but the landscape in which he is surrounded with has been changed going into 2019. Everyone wants to know, will Antonio Brown be able to produce in Oakland the same way that he did with the Steelers?

Antonio Brown started his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010, and ever since then has been one of the best in the business. Brown has had six straight seasons recording over 1,000 yards, breaking the 1,500 yard mark in three of those seasons. He has also tallied double digit touchdowns four times in his career, scoring 15 touchdowns last season.

In Pittsburgh, Antonio Brown was paired with future hall of fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Whether one believes Big Ben is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league is up for debate, but his stats are not. Ben Roethlisberger, in terms of stats, has had an incredible last few seasons, where Antonio Brown was his go to target. Roethlisberger threw for 34 touchdowns last season, in which Brown was responsible for over 44% of. Roethlisberger also threw for 5,129 yards, in which Brown was responsible for over 25% of.

With how good of a quarterback Roethlisberger is, and always has been, there is no denying that Antonio Brown has been a big part in his statistical success. Before Antonio Brown got to Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger had only thrown for over twenty touchdowns twice in his career. There is a narrative out that Brown is to blame for Roethlisberger’s high number of interceptions, as Roethlisberger tries to force the ball to Brown, but in his six seasons without Brown, Roethlisberger threw double digit interceptions in five of those seasons, hitting 23 interceptions in one of those years.

In terms of yards, Roethlisberger hit the 4,000 yard mark just one time without Antonio Brown, and has hit it five times with him. It is impossible to say that Antonio Brown is the reason for Ben Roethlisberger’s increase in stats, but it is worth noting that Derek Carr actually has better stats than Ben Roethlisberger did in his first five seasons (pre Antonio Brown). Roethlisberger obviously improved as a player after his first few seasons, but Derek Carr should improve, as well.

In Roethlisberger’s first five seasons, he threw for 101 touchdowns and 69 interceptions. In Carr’s first five seasons, he threw for 122 touchdowns and 54 interceptions. The idea that Derek Carr will not be able to produce with Antonio Brown as well as Ben Roethlisberger did is bizarre. Having a top receiver in the league can be a game changer for a young quarterback like Carr.

Although Brown’s touchdowns may go down a bit, his yards should not. Carr was able to throw for over 4,000 yards with no true WR1 last season. In the seasons where Carr had two legit threats at the wide receiver position (Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree), he threw for an average of 30 touchdowns. If the offensive line can give Carr time, he has proven that he can find the receiver and produce great numbers.

Michael Crabtree recorded eight or more touchdowns three consecutive times with Derek Carr, so why would Antonio Brown not be able to get into the double digits? Antonio Brown is miles ahead of any wide receiver Derek Carr has ever had, and should be able to elevate his play to new heights.

I predict Antonio Brown will see a slight drop off in terms of yards and touchdowns with the Raiders, but only because the Steelers throw the ball more than any team in football, compared to the Raiders who are in the middle of the pack. With all of that being said, I would predict Antonio Brown to have over 1,200 yards and be in double digits in terms of touchdowns.