Antonio Brown: Raiders' Mark Davis 'Made a Deal to Let Me Go, but No One Ever Knew'

Antonio Brown's breakup with the then-Oakland Raiders was loud and ugly. Now, the receiver is offering a less toxic view of the situation.

In an appearance on Tyreek Hill's podcast, Brown said Raiders owner Mark Davis was not to blame for how his brief tenure with the club unfolded.

"Mark Davis stood up on a limb for me," Brown said. "... As a honorable man, I told him, 'Like, yo, I don't want to be a Raider.' Save him his money."

"... If I get on the roster the first opening day of the game, he owe me $30 million. He made a deal to let me go, but no one ever knew that."

Brown added that he communicated his dissatisfaction with how the team was being run to Davis, and that his issues weren't with the owner or Oakland.

"So I got to the Raiders, and I'm like, 'Yo, Mark, I love everything about it here. I love money, but this is not championship culture, it's not the environment I want to be in. I love you, I appreciate the $30 million, but I already got 30. Not to be arrogant, but I got it. I don't need to hustle you.'"

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk broke down the details of the situation, noting that Brown's guaranteed money had already been voided by the time he talked to Davis. Brown also filed a grievance against the team after the situation, so the notion that he didn't care about the money does not line up with that.

Brown wound up signing with the New England Patriots soon afterward, but they cut him after only one game. He would eventually settle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl with the team in 2020.

He also spoke about his time with that organization, including his relationship with quarterback Tom Brady, on the podcast.