It’s been more than a full day since the report that a deal was “close” to being done for Antonio Brown, but the Steelers haven’t moved yet. We still don’t have any word yet on where he’s heading, and it’s become clear that part of the holdup with trade negotiations is the fact that Brown wants a pricey new contract wherever he goes. After Odell Beckham Jr. signed his record-breaking deal last year, Brown “took note of the new money hitting the receiver market” and wanted to get in on it, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
While Brown has apparently been plotting on how to get a new contract for a while, Fowler does caution that the “notion that Brown sought a trade and publicly criticized his team solely over a new deal is misguided.” In his article, which is worth a full read, Fowler breaks down how Brown is “working the system” to get a huge new deal while he still has three years left on his current one with the Steelers.
Here’s more from around the AFC with the start of free agency right around the corner:
- Speaking of Brown’s contract, we have more clarity on what exactly he’s seeking. Yesterday we heard he was looking to become the highest paid receiver in the NFL, and now we have more on his demands. Brown wants between $18 and $20MM per year on any new deal, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears (Twitter link). That explains why things have been taking so long. Beckham got $18MM per year on his deal, and Brown will have a hard time getting more than that. Beckham was 25 when he signed his deal, and Brown is 30. If any team is going to pay him quarterback money, they’re not going to want to give the Steelers any compensation for the right to do it. If that’s really what Brown is holding out for, it might be a while before this is resolved.
- Denzel Perryman and the Chargers agreed on a new two-year deal yesterday, and now we have the details. The inside linebacker will earn $12MM over the course of the two years, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Perryman, who was set to be an unrestricted free agent, has been a good run-stuffer for the Chargers when he’s been able to stay healthy. The 2015 second round pick out of Miami has missed 16 games over the past two years. If he can stay on the field next year, it’ll be a huge boost to Los Angeles’ talented defense.
- In case you missed it, tight end Martellus Bennett could come out of retirement to join his brother with the Patriots.
He’s already a Raider. Update the post
So they trade away Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper because they couldn’t afford to pay them, but they can afford to pay Brown?
Brown for a third and fifth plus 54M. I mean the Steelers have to eat 21M in cap but it’s strange for both teams. The Raiders get a 31 year old receiver and the Steelers get….Riley Ridley? I mean they’ve never struggled to find guys but I wonder if he’s that much of a headache that you can’t make that work for what you received.
Was thinking the same thing tharrie0820
Chuckie giving Carr weapons…no more excuses (except the O Line and Entire D)
Enough of Brown already. Nobody cares. Bryce Harper 2.0
Gruden is always “offense first” so it was no surprise he didn’t want to commit serious money to a guy on defense in his first year even though Mack was clearly worth every penny. I think making room for acquiring a top player on the cheap was always part of the plan and acquiring AB while retaining the Cooper and Mack picks may be the best possible scenario for the Raiders (provided that they make good use of those picks yet of course)
brown to the raiders. you heard it first here. lol
I lost an extra hour of sleep to learn this?