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The Oakland Raiders acquired wide receiver Antonio Brown in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the week, and on Wednesday, Brown had his introductory press conference.
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden seems thrilled that Brown is now on board, and he plans to use him in a number of different roles heading into next season:
“You have a great imagination as a football coach when you coach a man like this,” said Gruden, according to Michael Gehlken of The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He can play split end. He can play flanker. He can play in the slot. He can return punts and sell popcorn at halftime. We’re excited about this guy.”
Gruden also says he loves what Brown brings to the table because he did it “the hard way,” referencing the fact that Brown played his collegiate football at tiny Central Michigan and was a sixth-round draft pick of the Steelers back in 2010.
Brown is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he hauled in 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns en route to his sixth straight Pro Bowl appearance.
Overall, the 30-year-old has made seven Pro Bowls and has earned First-Team All-Pro honors four times.
However, Brown's divisive locker room presence served as the impetus for Pittsburgh to trade him this offseason, especially after he went AWOL on the team during the week leading up to the season finale.
The Steelers received a third-round pick and a fifth-rounder in return for Brown, which is certainly below their original asking price.
