Patriots Wasted Their Time and Added Bad Press With Antonio Brown in Move Doomed From the Start
By Adam Weinrib
In essence, the New England Patriots just wasted 13 days of our lives in an effort to place a cherry on top of their 16-0 roster.
Unnecessary. Excessive. Destructive. Over. Though many will try to erase the "Antonio Brown" portion of the 2019 Patriots' story, let's do our hardest not to let them.
Because, though the franchise is great and will remain great, this disaster of a move was perfectly indicative of New England's ethos: do enough winning that the world will ignore the depths to which you're willing to plummet.
The #Patriots gave Antonio Brown a $9M signing bonus on his 1-year deal — but it wasn’t all due at signing, and there’s usually forfeiture language. As one NFL exec told me: “I don’t think he has any money yet so at least they can hold it while they fight about it.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 20, 2019
Did the Patriots need wideouts when Brown arrived (under sketchy circumstances just three minutes after shredding his Raiders deal, if you recall)? No. They had been awarded Josh Gordon back. He'd be joining Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, and undrafted rookie Jakobi Meyers. And first-round pick N'Keal Harry, eventually. They needed neither star power nor reinforcements.
No, this move was all about bravado and, if you believe Pats Nation, fear of the unknown. Maybe the Chiefs would pick him up! Ooh, the six-ringed dynasty that never loses certainly couldn't afford to be challenged! Well, guess what? If the Chiefs had picked him up, their season might be in shambles at this very moment. But nice power play.
Somehow, Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has chosen to treat his client's departure from New England as just another new opportunity to find the right fit!
It's unfortunate things didn't work out with the Patriots. But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon.
— Drew Rosenhaus (@RosenhausSports) September 20, 2019
This tweet is why the Brown saga found its way to Foxborough, and why we'll do this all over again next year, most likely. NFL teams thrive on excess and short memories. NFL teams haven't figured out yet that the Patriots are the only team this doesn't stick to.
For his nearly-two-week stint in New England, there's a chance Brown will hardly receive any of the money he was initially promised, which makes you wonder why this charade lasted even one full week.
If Antonio Brown does not wind up receiving his $9M signing bonus from the Patriots (the first $5M was due to be paid on Monday), he will go from a $30M guarantee in March to $9M guaranteed to just $158,333 made for 2019.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 20, 2019
When Brown arrived, all he brought with him were depressing vibes and the suspicion he'd faked his way out of Oakland simply to reinforce a dynasty that didn't need his participation to create something historic. Swiftly after that, a tidal wave of bad PR engulfed a team that will be lauded by Jim Nantz come February anyway, with praise lavished upon them simply for going through their annual low-effort postseason stomping, because that's what Jim Nantz does.
There was no reason for Brown's arrival. There was every reason for Brown's departure. In between, the league's most prominent franchise took every opportunity to stain themselves, to no one's benefit.