Antonio Brown and Trent Brown share a last name and an agent. After Drew Rosenhaus worked some magic, there’s another tie that binds the two.
They’re both Raiders now.
Antonio came from Pittsburgh in a trade Saturday night, and then the elite receiver agreed to a major contract restructure that will glean $50 million over three years, with $30 million guaranteed, when the transaction becomes official Wednesday afternoon. The Raiders indeed confirmed the deal on Wednesday.
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Trent joined him committing to the Silver and Black on Monday morning, a league source told NBC Sports Bay Area, just moments after he was allowed. Brown agreed to terms of a four-year, $66 million pact with $36.75 million guaranteed. The terms were first reported by ESPN.
That pact also will become official and formally signed Wednesday. It will make him the highest-paid offensive tackle in NFL history.
The news of the pact broke just nine minutes into the NFL open negotiating window, which started at 9 a.m. PT Monday and made it legal for teams to talk contract with agents for soon-to-be free agents.
Nine minutes to get a deal done? That’s the story the Raiders and Rosenhaus will stick to, despite the unsaid fact that teams have been whispering about contract parameters since at least the NFL Scouting Combine.
NFL
The Raiders got Antonio Brown and Trent Brown to help improve their offense -- and Derek Carr -- with two things vital to quarterback success: Protection and open targets.
Brown resolves the team’s offensive tackle issues, with him on one side and 2018 first-round draft pick Kolton Miller on the other. ESPN reported that Brown will play on the left -- such a premium deal suggests he will -- and Miller will move to right tackle, where he played some at UCLA. He prefers the left side, and the Raiders exclusively worked him there as a rookie, when he struggled, especially when battling through persistent knee issues.
Brown primarily played right tackle during three seasons with the 49ers but operated well on the left after being traded to New England before the 2018 season. He allowed just three sacks and 39 overall pressures last year through the regular season and the Patriots’ Super Bowl championship run.
This move means 2018 third-round pick Brandon Parker would become a swing tackle, which is possible, considering his experience on the right and left. It likely spells the end of Donald Penn’s tenure in Oakland. The 35-year-old has $1.75 million guaranteed in 2019, but the team can save $5.475 million in salary-cap space by letting him go.
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Brown is just 25, an agile player despite standing 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds, and is well respected throughout the league. Whether he’s worth as much as the Raiders paid is debatable, but the team targeted Brown and quickly secured him.
The Raiders already have spent a ton, though they still could address some needs in the free-agent market. They needed stability on the outside and got it at a premium price.