Oakland Raiders predicted to go after Antonio Brown

The Oakland Raiders sacrificed their 2018 season in hopes they could build a perennial contender in the long-term moving forward.

That makes the 2019 offseason easily the most important in recent memory for the organization. They have three 1st round picks at their disposal along with plenty of spending money to upgrade their roster as they see fit. Good thing too because they have a substantial number of areas that need work before they can even hope to catch up with the Chiefs and Chargers.

One prominent spot is wide receiver. After dealing Amari Cooper for that 1st round pick from Dallas, the team was left without a definitive playmaker on the outside. Combined with a leaky offensive line and Derek Carr was exposed to a serious beating from defenses. The Raiders have to get him better weapons and it would seem some top NFL minds envision one name be their kind of guy.

None other than Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Oakland Raiders pursuit of AB would be right in line with Gruden style

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Paul Gutierrez of ESPN is of the belief that the Raiders will be aggressive in their pursuit of another weapon for Derek Carr. Given how much Jon Gruden favors having veteran receivers over young ones on his roster, something that has been true since he first became a head coach 20 years ago, the idea of going after Brown makes loads of sense.

"You did say “bold,” right? What would be more bold than the “Parts Unknown” Raiders, who have four picks among the first 36 selections of the NFL draft and need a No. 1 wideout, going all-in for a totally known commodity in the temperamental All-Pro receiver? Jon Gruden loves veterans, and he might love Brown even more, calling the nine-year pro the “hardest-working” player he has ever seen in practice. “I’ve seen Jerry Rice,” Gruden said in December. “I’ve seen a lot of good ones. But I put Antonio Brown at the top.”"

Brown will be 31-years old this season. Most people would assume that’s over the hill for most NFL players, but great ones have proven time and again they can often extend their careers well into their mid-30s. Jerry Rice had his final 1,000-yard season at age 40. Him Raiders teammate Tim Brown who played for Gruden did it at 35. Larry Fitzgerald had over 1,000 in 2017 at the age of 34. So the Raiders could be in store for at least three more seasons of top tier production.

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