Antonio Brown tweets himself in an Oakland Raiders jersey

Antonio Brown made sure he avoided being traded to Buffalo by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It seems he’s far more welcoming of the second team.

Or least that’s the way he makes it seem. The star wide receiver broke Twitter when he delivered a tweet of him in an Oakland Raiders uniform, seeming to confirm the frequent rumors that they were the team he’d end up on. Given the knowledge that a deal of some kind was close, this could be confirmation that Brown is no longer a Steeler and will resume his career in Silver and Black.

This shouldn’t be a huge surprise. The Raiders are in dire need of wide receiver help. Jon Gruden loves his veteran players and he’s also no stranger to dealing with receivers who have gigantic egos. He had Jerry Rice and Tim Brown in Oakland during his first stint and then Keyshawn Johnson in Tampa Bay. There’s no doubt he believes he can contain the soap opera that Brown has become lately.

If he’s right, then the Raiders just got themselves the best receiver in football. Compensation is unknown at this point. However, odds are they got him for relatively cheap, at least in terms of draft capital. Money, that’s a different story. Thankfully they have lots to spend. Derek Carr might be a little less angered about the dealing of Amari Cooper last year when he has a guy good for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns or more every year.

Given the Raiders don’t have any other notable targets also means he’ll likely get fed the ball a lot. That’s something else certain to keep him happy. One must wonder though how things might change if they start losing.

UPDATE:

Turns out the Raiders may have done themselves a solid. Ian Rapoport reports that the Steelers gave up their star receiver for 3rd and 5th round picks. Rather low for what he’s been in the NFL for so long but given his situation, it’s not surprising.