Ex-Raiders HC Jack Del Rio: Antonio Brown 'Going to Be a Pain in the Ass'

Former Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio thinks the team will have a difficult time controlling wide receiver Antonio Brown. 

In an interview with NFL.com's Brooke Cersosimo, Del Rio said the seven-time Pro Bowler is "going to be a pain in the ass" for head coach Jon Gruden:

"He's a very talented guy and I would love to have him. I would work with him, no problem. If [players] have talent, you tend to tolerate it a little bit, unless it becomes disruptive to your team. He's going to have to learn that to really help the team. If he continues doing the things he's been doing, just like he upset the Steelers, he's going to upset the next team he's on. There are certain things—I mean, this is America and he's free to do what he wants—but those aren't the things that are indicative of a good teammate. The working hard and being a good player definitely helps the team, which is why he'll continue to get chances to be special until his skills deteriorate. That's when people will get tired of him."

Brown spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Their relationship ended on bad terms after he was inactive in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals following a dispute with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and skipping practices during the week, per Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  

Per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler, Brown had been unhappy with the Steelers "for quite some time."

The Raiders wound up acquiring Brown last month in exchange for third- and fifth-round draft picks.  

Oakland is hoping to get the Brown that has had at least 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards in each of the previous six seasons.

If he can do that without causing any problems in the locker room, the Raiders' offense figures to be much-improved from the group that finished 2018 ranked 23rd in yards per game (336.2) and 28th in points scored (290).