Rosenhaus Says There Was No Scheme to Get Antonio Brown from Raiders to Patriots

Antonio Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, appeared on ESPN's First Take on Monday morning and said the superstar wideout didn't force his release from the Oakland Raiders so he could sign with the New England Patriots:

"That is absolutely not true. We were really trying to make this work with the Raiders throughout the process, really up until the day he was released. We had no idea whether the Patriots would be interested. In fact, I didn't have any communication with the Patriots until well after he had been officially released after 4 o'clock. There was definitely not any scheme to get him to New England or any other team.

"What happened was essentially because of the fines that Antonio had, the Raiders took the position that they could've potentially voided his contract and that was not something that Antonio was comfortable with moving forward. The relationship became fractured between Antonio and the front office, unfortunately, and essentially that is what led to the demise.

"But there was no intent to get out of this deal. It wasn't premeditated at all. In fact, Antonio was prepared to play on Monday night. It wasn't until the fines and the letters and everything that this deal fell apart. Thankfully, everything is exciting now with the Patriots."

There are a few details of Brown's decision to sign with the Patriots that will justifiably raise eyebrows, however. His agreement with the Patriots was done pretty quickly once he officially became a free agent, for instance. Rosenhaus has plenty of experience in working with the Patriots in the past; he was Rob Gronkowski's agent.

There's also the fact that Brown could potentially earn the same amount of guaranteed money over the next two seasons in New England as he would have with the Raiders. Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Patriots have a $20 million team option for 2020, with the money becoming guaranteed if the Patriots exercise that option.

Add that to the $9 million Brown was guaranteed at signing and the $15 million Brown could earn in total, and you get to $29 million guaranteed and $35 million overall. In Oakland, Brown was set to have $30.1 million guaranteed when he renegotiated his contract. 

Now, it's very possible that the Patriots don't pick up that option and that Brown never sees that $20 million in New England. But if the money has the potential to be the same, wouldn't most players rather be in New England—where they have a legitimate chance to win a Super Bowl—than Oakland?

And given Brown's antics by the end of his time in Oakland, it sure seems like he was desperate to raise a ruckus and get released. Maybe he was simply done with the Raiders, who acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a third- and a fifth-round draft pick.

Rosenhaus said on First Take that the relationship between the sides was no longer salvageable, blaming it on Brown's dispute with the NFL over the helmet issue and Oakland's decision to fine him for missing practice and for confronting general manager Mike Mayock. The team's suspension voided the guaranteed salary in his contract.

But despite Rosenhaus' comments, it still seems very possible—and perhaps probable—that Brown was trying to steer his way to New England. There is enough noise about that possibility to at least recognize it as a realistic scenario, regardless of what Brown and Rosenhaus claim.