I know, I know. The Raiders are not in Las Vegas just yet. They are a year away from moving here but it is happening. Just in case it is still surreal to you, as it is to me, just head north on the 15 Freeway as you past the Strip. Look slightly to your left as you pass Mandalay Bay on your right and there is your reminder; a gigantic stadium being closer to complete every day. And it's not just that either. In December 2018, the NFL announced that the 2020 NFL Draft would be held in Las Vegas. Surely but slowly, NFL fever is creeping into this city.
The, for now, Oakland Raiders had a horrible season in 2018. The type of season that football fans and enthusiasts have come to expect from this once proud franchise. They went 4-12, looked inept for the most part and that was even in some of their wins. You talk to Vegas locals and natives about their imminent move to the desert and you get back a mix of disgust, a "we don't want you here" feeling and indifference.
The re-hiring of Jon Gruden as the Raiders head coach last winter was supposed to alleviate some of that skepticism. The last time the Raiders were consistently great was under Gruden's helm. That was also nearly 20 years ago. But hey, a coach can be a face of a franchise; think Vince Lombardi or Phil Jackson or John Wooden or Mike Krzyzewski. Things did not quite work out that way in Gruden's first reboot year however. The Raiders needed a player that could that be "that guy". That guy who puts butts in seats, who can sell merchandise, who has a larger-than-life personality and would eat up all Vegas has to offer. To paraphase former U.S. Administrator, Paul Bremer, Ladies and gentlemen, they got him.
On the late hours of March 9th, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded 5-time All-Pro and 7-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown to the Raiders and in exchange, the Steelers received a third-round and fifth-round draft pick. That deal was an immense steal but that's another topic for another day. The Raiders have him, they have their superstar. No disrespect to Derek Carr, their $100 million QB but he doesn't have the swag or gravitas that Brown does. Showing up to training camp in a helicopter?! Brown is a self-made superstar and a diva in the most complimentary sense. He makes Terrell Owens' self love seem humble. On top of the extracurriculars, Brown is a Hall of Famer-in waiting. From 2013 to 2016, the man averaged 120 receptions, 1,579 yards and 11 touchdowns. AVERAGED. And his last season in Pittsburgh wasn't bad either as he totaled 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns. All this and he's still in his prime.
Brown is 30, he turns 31 in July, and if he plays his contract out he'll be 34. Will his production still be what it was in 2018 at that time? Highly unlikely. Will he still be good enough in "decline" like Larry Fitzgerald, Cris Carter and Jerry Rice were in their older age? Potentially. We're talking about a player who was drafted in 2010 in the 6th round and got on the field initially because of his special teams play and now has a new lease on his football life by going to the Silver and Black. If you thought he had a chip on his shoulder before, you haven't seen anything yet.
The Raiders needed this in the worst way. Sure it helps acquiring a top 10 player in his prime and this move, in a sense, justifies just a bit the baffling trading of Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack, two thought-to-be cornerstones of the franchise but this was more important off the field. The Raiders will embark on their third city of employment since being a football franchise but this time, they're moving to an unknown. A city that isn't known for sports and whose sports scene is in it's infancy stage. A city that's known for glitz, glamour and fast times. The Raiders not only needed a face of their franchise but a player who can entertain, produce and embody the fancy stereotypes of Las Vegas. Ladies and gentlemen, they got him.
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