Raiders’ Brown is back to earth, and out for a bit
New Raiders receiver Antonio Brown had quite the eventful first day of training camp.
First, Brown announced his arrival in Napa on Friday morning by riding a hotair balloon.
A few hours later, the Raiders placed Brown on the nonfootball injury list to open camp.
The Raiders did not specify the nature of Brown’s injury. ESPN’s Field Yates, who first reported the move, added the issue is thought to be “very minor.” A team source said it’s expected Brown “won’t be out long” and might miss a week of practices.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock did not mention Brown when asked about injuries at a precamp news conference around midday Friday, reporting day for veteran players.
The Raiders traded third and fifthround
draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Brown in March and restructured his contract to reportedly pay him up to $54.125 million over the next three seasons. The fourtime AllPro selection is expected to be the Raiders’ top receiver this season and a leader at an overhauled position group.
Brown remains on the Raiders’ active roster and can be activated from the nonfootball injury list at any time during camp.
The move’s timing, though, took some of the wind out of Brown’s training camp entrance.
In Pittsburgh, Brown arrived for camp one year in a chauffeured RollsRoyce and last season via helicopter. Friday morning, the Raiders posted a video of Brown taking a hot air balloon ride and stating, “Raider Nation, I’m here in Napa,” after touching down.
“I thought it’d be exciting to switch it up,” Brown said in the video. “Napa Valley obviously is known for the hotair balloons. This camp is so important for this team because there’s a lot at stake. We’ve kind of got to develop our identity. I think it all starts today with the commitment from guys there and everyone there understanding the reasons we’re there.”
Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden found humor in the stunt at their news conference.
“Did he land?” Mayock asked. “Is he here?”
“Is he OK, that’s all I want to know,” Gruden added.
Brown was the Raiders’ highestprofile offseason addition after he made known his discontent in Pittsburgh, where he had at least 100 catches and 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past six seasons.
“I expect a lot more drama from No. 84, I really do,” Gruden said Friday. “He’s a fun guy to be around. I expected a little bit more than a hot air balloon. I thought he might jump out of an airplane and parachute here himself. But he’s going to add a lot of life to this organization at a position where obviously we need some explosive plays.”
Mayock said Brown made an impression on teammates in spring practices.
“When he catches a quick slant and gets vertical and goes — it’s rare to see grown men in the NFL look at each other and just start giggling and laughing, and it happens almost every day in practice,” Mayock said. “I think what it also does is the young guys get to see how an AllPro, potential Hall of Famer, practices on a daily basis.”
Also on Friday, the Raiders placed guard Denzelle Good on the physically unable to perform list and fullback Keith Smith on the nonfootball injury list to open camp.
Good, who was expected to compete at left guard, had lower back surgery last month and will likely miss the next two months, Mayock said. Richie Incognito, who is suspended for the first two games this season, and Jonathan Cooper are other candidates to start at left guard. Gruden said the Raiders are “certainly going to have some competition” at the position.
Incognito worked with the starters this offseason despite the Raiders anticipating NFL discipline for him after he had legal issues since last playing in the NFL in 2017.
“We knew about it, we planned for it,” Mayock said. “We think we executed accordingly.”
Smith injured his left knee during offseason training and posted on Instagram this week that he had surgery on his meniscus. Mayock said it is “nowhere near a seasonending injury.” The Raiders have one other fullback on their roster, undrafted rookie Alex Ingold from Wisconsin.