After a tumultuous two weeks in which he fought against the NFL to use a specific helmet, threatening to retire and getting into a altercation with general manger, Mike Mayock, the Oakland Raiders have released WR Antonio Brown.
Acquired for a 2019 third and fifth round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown–one of the most talented and mercurial–players in the NFL, the final straw in what broke the Raiders back came when Brown posted the fine he received from Oakland on Instagram asking for them to release him, after they told him that he would be fined $54K for missing time at training camp.
After posting the letter on Instagram, Brown got into his now-infamous verbal altercation with Mayock–only to be held back by Vontaze Burflict–before ultimately being fined $215,073.53 for conduct detrimental to the team, allowing the Raiders to void $29.125 million worth of guaranteed money after signing a three-year $50 million deal in March, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Now a free agent, Brown is free to sign with any team after 4 p.m. EST on Saturday and be eligible to play Week 2.