Patriots Outsmarting NFL by Waiting Out Antonio Brown Drama Makes it Seem Like They Knew All Along

The New England Patriots are always smarter than you think. In the case of Antonio Brown, they were many steps ahead, playing chess while the rest of us sat and reveled in the drama.

The Pats have a habit of turning other teams' trash into their treasure, and they've even done it before with the Raiders dumpster fire (see: Randy Moss). By signing Brown on Saturday, they've added arguably a top-3 wideout in football to a corps which already features the likes of Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman.

While there isn't (nor will there ever be) any real evidence that Brown purposely voided his contract with the Raiders to make his way to a real contender in New England, it cannot be ignored that AB must've had some inclination that there'd always be a market for him with the Patriots. Hell, Tom Brady himself has long had admiration for Brown, even though the two were once the fiercest of rivals.

Long before he was dealt to the Raiders, Brown and agent Drew Rosenhaus even discussed a potential move to New England, but agreed the trade was unlikely from the Steelers' perspective.

AB to the Pats might've been foreshadowed around the :35 second mark, albeit in vague terms. Rosenhaus and Brown by no means planned an exit from Oakland this way, but they surely had an idea the Pats were interested from the very beginning.

Now factor in Brown's elation when he was finally cut loose by Oakland, and you can see why some fans' minds might wander.

Either way, AB is now a Patriot, and Belichick continues to run circles around the rest of the NFL.