Derek Carr and Jon Gruden the biggest losers from AB drama
Derek Carr
The mission of this offseason was to get the Raiders offense fixed which meant providing protection and weapons for Derek Carr. Even without Brown, that is still the case, but Brown was going to be a huge part of taking this offense to the next level. He is such a dynamic player, especially as a deep threat which the Raiders did not have in 2018, so just his presence alone adds value. Now heading into week one against a very talented defense coached by Vic Fangio, Carr is going to have hands full.
Tyrell Williams, the number two receiver is now elevated to the main guy, and unproven players like Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller now move up the ranks. J.J. Nelson is another guy who is expected to step up, but as you can see, these are not names you necessarily want to rely heavily on at the moment. Which means it is up to Carr to elevate his level of play to make some of these guys look a little better than they might be.
This is not something that Carr is incapable of doing, but there is just added stress now. This on top of the pressure that’s already been placed on his shoulders to make sure he continues to be the quarterback for the Raiders long term.
It is also a tough break for Carr as he seemed to be one of Brown’s most prominent supporters despite his constant issues. He was one of the captains that stood by Brown during his apology to the team, and it looks like a wasted effort on his part.
For more insight on this situation here is Derek’s brother David Carr explaining what is going on within the team, which is information he no doubt got from Derek.
Derek Carr's brother, @DCarr8, joined us moments ago with the latest on Antonio Brown and the #Raiders
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 7, 2019
"There's a relief, honestly, that he might NOT be there." pic.twitter.com/zTAmigVkiO
The bottom line is, the Raiders could have certainly benefited from Brown in the lineup, but at what cost. This is a team that is building for the future, and it was clear over the past week that Brown did not want to be a part of it.
The Raiders won four games last season, but with the talent they have on both sides of ball in 2019, they could double that total, even without AB. This is a saga that had to end, but you can always wonder what could have been.