Antonio Brown earned a reputation as arguably the best receiver in the NFL during his years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His ability to torch cornerbacks and safeties with relative ease has helped him rack up not only prolific stats, but quite a bit of money as well.
While Brown has lost over $ 300,000 to fines, the controversial wide-out still has an impressive net worth. However, his bank account balance would be even better without Mark Davis.
In fact, AB is $ 30 million missing thanks to the owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and the power of compelling evidence.
Antonio Brown went from All-Pro in Pittsburgh to a massive headache in Las Vegas
Although Brown started his NFL career at the bottom of the salary scale, the 2010 sixth-round pick quickly put himself in a position for a life-changing raise. After a busted second season with the Steelers that included 69 catches for 1,108 yards, the Miami native signed a five-year, $ 42.5 million contract extension.
In terms of field production, Brown has more than lived up to his lucrative contract. From 2013 to 2018, he mean 114 catches for 1,524 yards and 11 touchdowns per season.
However, even though the Steelers gave the star a four-year, $ 68 million extension in 2017, it became clear that Brown wouldn’t be staying long. Ultimately, his dissatisfaction with the team and his contract forced Pittsburgh to finally part ways with the All-Pro wide receiver.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, they traded a pair of midterm picks for a player who ultimately did nothing to help the franchise. Instead of improving the offense, Brown created controversy by damaging his feet during a cryotherapy session and refusing to wear a league-approved helmet. He also had a verbal altercation with general manager Mike Mayock which generated even more speculation about his future in Las Vegas.
Two days later, the Raiders released Brown in a move that had significant financial implications.
AB misses $ 30 million in bank account thanks to Raiders owner Mark Davis
Despite spending less than six months with the Raiders, Brown remained a huge puzzle for the franchise for much longer. Then again, that shouldn’t have been a shock given the costly ramifications of his release.
Shortly after being traded to Las Vegas, he signed a three-year contract containing $ 30 million guaranteed. But when the team refused to honor that commitment, it led to even more drama.
Brown filed a grievance against the Raiders seeking lost wages. In most cases, a player would apparently have a strong case for getting the guaranteed money back. Unfortunately for the 33-year-old, he’s missing $ 30 million from his bank account because of the man who stupidly tied his cart to Jon Gruden: Mark Davis.
ESPN’s Chris Mortenson tweeted that during the discovery phase of Brown’s grievance, the Raiders submitted several text messages showing that the recipient had asked Davis for his release. Of course, the team cut it off on September 7 after several months filled with drama that included a Instagram post with the caption “Free me Raiders #NoMore”.
Through his own actions, AB has gone from convincing the Raiders to sign him to a guaranteed $ 30 million contract to lose his job, severely damaging his reputation and ruining his chances of getting all that money back. He himself is to blame, although Davis was the one who ultimately cut ties and kept that money from ending up in the recipient’s bank account.
Needless to say, he had quite a downfall once he left Pittsburgh.
Luckily for the potential Hall of Famer, he still has Tom Brady by his side.
Will staying with Tom Brady continue to pay off for the controversial enlargement?
Even though he only lasted one game with the New England Patriots, AB obviously formed a pretty close bond with GOAT. After all, he received unwavering support from TB12 despite all of his drama off the field and the alleged legal transgressions that surfaced between his brief tenure as Raiders and his arrival in Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers certainly benefited from Brady’s confidence in Brown a year ago. The duo connected for two touchdowns in Super Bowl 55, and general manager Jason Licht made sure to keep their relationship going by signing AB on a one-year contract worth up to 6.25. millions of dollars.
If all goes according to plan, the extended veteran will continue to play a vital role in the offense. Whether Brown can stay healthy for a 17-game season remains a minor concern based on his age, but he should show solid numbers playing in a charged offense.
At this point, the Buccaneers look set to embark on another deep playoff run that could very well end with another parade of boats in Florida. But there are also other teams that could ruin Tampa’s title dreams.
And if anyone knows the concept of “nothing is guaranteed” it is Antonio Brown.
All statistics are courtesy of Professional football benchmark. All contractual data is courtesy of Spotrac.
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