The Oakland Raiders made a big splash this offseason by trading for superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While he is the best wide receiver in football, he does come with his fair share of baggage. A lot of controversy has surrounded him this offseason. He didn't play in the Steelers' last game of the 2018 season. Then there were his problems with Ben Roethlisberger. Now he is calling out JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Despite all that, it's impossible to deny his elite talent. Now he is on the Raiders, a team that had a lot of controversy in its own right last season. The Raiders are trying to rebuild their image and could have a lot of good things going for them in the future.
What will Antonio Brown do in Year 1 with the team? Here are three bold predictions.
Lead the NFL in receptions
Antonio Brown is no stranger to racking up receptions. He has posted at least 100 receptions in six straight seasons. However, he hasn't led the NFL in that category since 2015.
2019 will be the year in which he gets back on top. Brown is now on a Raiders team that is desperate for a number one target.
Oakland has a quarterback who isn't afraid to throw the ball. Derek Carr will quickly build a strong rapport with Brown; he will look his way often.
Last season, Brown picked up 104 receptions on a team with Smith-Schuster (who had 111). This Oakland roster won't provide another teammate who will accumulate a similar number of catches.
Tyrell Williams and Ryan Grant had the two highest reception totals after Brown last season. Williams had 41 receptions and Grant had 35.
Brown's going to get the ball a lot.
Moreover, Williams and Grant will help Brown a lot. Grant is much more adept at shorter routes, using his sure hands to get small gains. Meanwhile, Williams takes the top off the defense and goes deep.
This will spread the field well, leaving Brown to take anything he wants, going short or deep or sitting in the middle of the field. His numbers should increase this season; 140-plus receptions is a possibility.
Post a 70%-plus catch rate
Antonio Brown hasn't had a catch rate of 70% or higher since 2015. Last season it was 61.9%.
Now he faces an even tougher challenge. He doesn't have JuJu Smith-Schuster to take attention away from him.
Brown will be force-fed the ball a lot. More targets mean teams will focus on him even more than they already do. That makes it harder to catch the targets thrown his way.
However, Brown will likely have more freedom in this offense. He'll be given a wide variety of routes (as he was in Pittsburgh). With his excellent route running, he'll find a way to get open. As long as Carr can put the ball where Brown can catch it, he'll catch it.
To say Antonio Brown wasn't happy in Pittsburgh near the end of his stay in the Steel City would be an understatement. He seems ecstatic to be out and is poised for a massive year, if only to spite the Steelers.
Although high targets might make it seem like the catch rate would go down, that's not the case with Brown.
2014 and 2015 were the two season with the highest targets for Brown. Those were also the only two years of his career (not counting his rookie year with 19 targets) in which he posted a catch rate over 70%.
Expect his targets to skyrocket again; so will his catch rate.
No Serious Team Drama
This is the one that might surprise a lot of people. Antonio Brown has been engulfed in drama for the last year.
However, it's unfair to say that's all his fault. Yes, the JuJu Smith-Schuster thing seems weird. Many people have complained about Ben Roethlisberger in the past, however. The fact that those two weren't the best of friends shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.
Now Brown is out. He has a coach who will challenge him: Jon Gruden. That could cause some friction at points. There won't be any real drama between the two, though.
Brown also already seems to have a good rapport with quarterback Derek Carr.
Also: The Raiders don't have all that many offensive weapons. That means Brown will get a ton of looks, keeping him happy.
Finally, he has a fresh start. Brown has always been a loud personality. That might endear him to some, while ruffling others' feathers. It's no shock that after a while in the same organization there might be some strong feelings (good and bad) toward him.
In Oakland, season one should be a honeymoon. He is no longer dealing with the bad relationships in Pittsburgh and gets to make new good relationships in Oakland.
With the personality of Antonio Brown, drama will always follow. Yet, season one should go relatively smoothly in this case.