What the Hell Are the Raiders Doing?

If you are a sports fan, you know by now that All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown was traded. Brown, the nine-year veteran out of Central Michigan, was sent from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oakland Raiders. The Steelers will reportedly receive a 3rd and a 5th round pick in this years draft for compensation.

After the deal, Brown restructured his contract with Oakland, turning it into a 3-year $50.125 million deal with $30.125 million being guaranteed.

With that being said, my question for Oakland is what the hell are they doing? I understand acquiring Brown for that little of a return but he is 31-years-old. He is a player that should be going to a team that is ready to win now, and- I’m not sure if you know this- but Oakland’s record last year was 4-12.

This is the only move they have made this offseason (besides trading former All-Pro guard Kelechi Osmele yesterday). Football is a team game no matter how much people like to hone in on the superstars. Getting a great wide receiver is not going to make that big of a difference that the silver and black go from 4 to 10 wins.Still, the real beef I have with this deal is the fact that the Raiders were unwilling to pay Khalil Mack.

Mack can be argued as the most impactful defender in all of football, but Oakland decided to move on from him instead of paying the then 27-year-old. Mack will be making a similar salary to Brown.

I don’t see the thinking in signing a disgruntled player like Brown to that type of deal while giving away a player that made your defense bearable. Without Mack last year, the Raiders only mustered 13 sacks(!) last year, while Mack had 12.5 all by himself.

We still have a full offseason to go, but Oakland needs to decide whether they want to win now, or tank for the near future. But based on their most recent moves. I have no idea what they are thinking. These Gruden grinders (as of now) appear to be headed into NFL purgatory

-Jarrod Ribaudo (@Jribs53)