The Oakland Raiders believe the New England Patriots' loss is their gain when it comes to Trent Brown.
The left tackle agreed to a four-year, $66 million contract with the Raiders on Monday. The deal includes $36.75 million of guaranteed money, and it makes Brown the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
Brown played for the Patriots last season after they acquired him from the San Francisco 49ers in a trade last April. The 25-year-old tackle was a key member of a Patriots offensive line that gave up only one sack of quarterback Tom Brady during the team's run to a Super Bowl LIII championship.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock is confident Brown will upgrade Oakland's offensive line in a major way. Here's what he told reporters Wednesday after the start of the new league year:
https://twitter.com/GehlkenNFL/status/1105938795872968705
The Raiders allowed 52 sacks last season, which tied for the fifth-most in the league. This lack of quality pass protection is one way to explain franchise quarterback Derek Carr's dip in performance. Oakland also ranked 23rd in rushing yards per attempt and 25th in rush yards overall. Brown should improve the Raiders' ground game, too.
Oakland still has a lot of other roster weaknesses to address before being a serious playoff contender in the AFC, but their free agency moves so far have laid a good foundation for future success.
New England Patriots
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