His business with the Raiders went bust, but there’s still a slim chance at some boomin’.
Per a league source, Antonio Brown‘s exit from Oakland did not include the release of any rights to his $29.625 million in guaranteed compensation for 2019 and 2020. Brown will be working with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and the NFL Players Association to explore all available remedies under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Although the Raiders will receive a dollar-for-dollar credit for any money he receives from the Patriots, the up-to-$15 million from the Patriots this year is a far cry from $29.625 million, and a successful grievance against the Raiders would give Brown plenty of security for 2020 — along with the ability to take a bargain-basement deal with a Super Bowl contender knowing that the Raiders will pick up the difference.
It still won’t be easy for Brown to prevail. Check out the language from his contract; by leaving training camp and missing another practice (at the price of $53,950), Brown gave the Raiders enough ammunition to void his guarantees. His altercation with G.M. Mike Mayock (which reportedly triggered another $215,000 in fines) surely provided the final nail in his claim for guaranteed money.
And as to those fines, the Raiders likely will never see a penny of them. Since Brown won’t be getting any checks from the Raiders, there will be no money for the Raiders to withhold — unless they keep the fine money from the guaranteed money they eventually pay to Brown if Brown wins his grievance. Which would hardly qualify as a win for the Raiders.