Disgruntled stars being traded isn’t necessarily new in the NFL.
But the way Antonio Brown did it this offseason — a tactic which critics could reasonably describe as mutiny — was the kind of thing which ought to scare the NFL establishment.
Because if more players realize the power they have, more may try the same thing.
“We had a client who decided that he didn’t want to be with a given team and we were able to find a more desirable scenario and work out a new deal despite having three years left on the contract and not having to add more years,” agent Drew Rosenhaus told Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America. “What I hope it does is maybe bring some more balance. There aren’t many players like Antonio Brown but perhaps—and I’m not suggesting that everybody go out and try to renegotiate their deal or ask for a trade—but I hope it gives players more leverage throughout the league. I hope it gives agents more confidence that they can affect something in a way that can make a positive change for their clients.
“Maybe this is a deal that’s bigger than just one particular contract.”
Rosenhaus is right in that not many players have the kind of juice to create that kind of change. But it will certainly be noted in many precincts, as players try to maximize what little leverage they have in a process which was built to limit their power. From being allocated to a team without any say in the matter as rookies (the draft), to having to wait beyond the average length of a career (four years) to pick their own destination in free agency (unless, you know, a team wants to use the franchise tag), players have few options.
Antonio Brown used the ones he had. Others will inevitably try to follow, and some teams will inevitably take a hard line.