One of the most intriguing NFL storylines heading into the 2019 campaign is how Antonio Brown will fare in his first season with the Oakland Raiders, and ESPN feels that Brown will post nearly identical numbers to his final year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This past season, Brown hauled in 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns, and ESPN is projecting him to catch 104 passes for 1,289 yards and nine scores this coming year.
So, outside of the touchdowns, which are obviously down in ESPN's predictions, those numbers obviously parallel what Brown did in 2018.
The Steelers dealt Brown to the Raiders back in March after the wide out demanded a trade following a tumultuous end to the 2018 campaign.
Things reached a boiling point in the week leading up to the season finale, when Brown got into a heated dispute with Ben Roethlisberger that apparently ended in him throwing a football at the quarterback. Brown then refused to practice, complained of knee pain but refused to go for an MRI and then went AWOL on the Steelers in the lead-up to Pittsburgh's Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, resulting in Brown being consequently benched by head coach Mike Tomlin.
Still, while Brown may have caused a whole lot of locker room issues in Pittsburgh, there is no denying his talent, as he has made six straight Pro Bowl appearances (seven overall) and also earned First-Team All-Pro selections four straight years between 2014 and 2017.
Brown was part of an offseason haul for the Raiders that also included offensive lineman Trent Brown, safety Lamarcus Joyner and linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
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