5 reasons the Antonio Brown trade is great for the Raiders

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 23: Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts after a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 23, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: New York Giants strong safety Landon Collins (21) during the National Football League game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants on October 28, 2018 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Give the fanbase some excitement

As we have seen in almost every professional sports league in the United States, having star power helps teams immensely. Why? Free agency and trades.

Yes, money talks, but so does having a roster with Pro Bowl and All-Pro players. Now with the addition of Brown, the Raiders have star power and money. Currently, the team has over $60 million in available cap space.

Brown will take up a chunk of that, but the team still has room to lure in some of the top free agents this offseason. It’s not only Brown’s presence that makes the Raiders an attractive landing spot for free agents, but also the point made earlier that trading for him signals progress. Like the San Francisco 49ers last offseason, adding one guy can then lead to others following.

Now, some may believe that players probably aren’t lining up to play with Brown after the way things ended in Pittsburgh. But at the end of the day he is still one of the best wide receivers in the league. Even at age 30, he isn’t slowing down.

Next. Browns, Giants trade Olivier Vernon and Kevin Zeitler. dark

With a franchise-quarterback in place, Brown on the roster, draft picks galore and cap space to play with, Oakland will be able to expedite this ‘rebuild’ and bring top talent in.

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