Trade demands tie into social media
It’s new trend; players trying it more frequently
Ever wonder what Al Davis would have done if he were alive to hear Antonio Brown demand to be traded before he played a game for the Oakland Raiders?
Here’s a little insight:
When Marcus Allen, a Hall of Fame running back, was interviewed at halftime of a Monday night game in 1992 and demanded to be traded on national television, Davis didn’t capitulate. Instead, he seethed and did what owners nowadays don’t do — he vindictively pushed him further down the bench, even though Allen was making $1.1 million a year.
NFL trade demands are nothing new. John Elway (actually, his dad) demanded to be traded right after he was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1983. Archie Manning demanded the same for his son, Eli, if he was drafted with the first overall pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2004 (he was). Hall of Famer Joe Montana asked to be traded in 1993 after he was supplanted as the starting quarterback in San Francisco by Steve Young.
But nothing like this.
The NFL is starting to look like the NBA, with star players publicly demanding to be traded on what seems to be a weekly basis. In just the past two weeks, three players — Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Taco Charlton, all former No. 1 picks — have demanded to be traded from their respective teams for various reasons. (Charlton was released Wednesday by the Cowboys and, of course, Fitzpatrick now is with the Steelers).
Heck, at least in the NBA, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler asked to be traded to greener pastures in the span of a year. What we’ve seen in the NFL has occurred just since the start of the regular season. It’s reached a point where the mantra for the players should merely be a take on an old song:
“Please release me, let me go.
I don’t love you anymore.”
“It seems very NBA-ish,” said guard Ramon Foster, the Steelers union representative. “We’ll see how far it goes.”
If you’re looking for someone to blame, look no further. It’s Antonio Brown.
“It seems very NBA-ish. We’ll see how far it goes.”
— Ramon Foster Steelers union representative
He started this back in December, when he challenged the Steelers to release him, then double-downed on his threat by asking to be traded in January. The Steelers, who wanted nothing more to do with their All-Pro receiver, eventually obliged and Brown became a rich man with the Raiders, who signed him to a contract valued over $50 million with nearly $30 million guaranteed.
Then, after a short honeymoon in Oakland, he pulled the same act with the Raiders, asking to be set free and released because he didn’t like how he was being
treated. And he was, which is when the New England Patriots swooped in like sea gulls hunting fish at the ocean, giving him a oneyear deal worth $15 million before his release Friday.
Now, every player who feels empowered or has a sense of entitlement has jumped on social media to request a trade or release when they don’t like their team surroundings.
“You have to have that power to be able to do it,” Foster said. “You got to have a willing team on the other end. The A.B. situation is very unique. I’d hate to see a No. 3 wide receiver do that. It’s absolutely not going to happen.”
Foster said players are able to do it because of social media and the amount of followers they have, whether it’s Twitter or Instagram. In a lot of instances, if not most, they don’t even use the daily mainstream media to voice their demands.
“Everything is highlighted,” Foster said. “Players can control their narrative on social media. You have guys with more followers than the team. Think about that. It holds a little more weight. Back then the teams controlled the newspapers.”
To be sure, the Steelers have benefited from trade demands, too. In addition to Fitzpatrick, who was acquired Monday in a trade with the Dolphins Jerome Bettis was acquired from the St. Louis Rams in 1996 after he was asked by then-coach Rich Brooks if he wanted to play fullback or be traded (guess which he chose).
Brown’s trail of trade demands landed him on the best team with the best coach for a nice buck, if only for a short period. Alas, he also has blazed a path, slippery as it might be, for others to follow.
Where will it end? Stay tuned to social media to find out.
Heavy at the top
When the Steelers defense takes the field for the Sunday game against the San Francisco 49ers, they will have eight former or current No. 1 picks among the 11 starters after the trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most first-round picks that have started at least one game on defense for any team this season.
Five of the eight No. 1 picks were drafted by the Steelers — defensive end Cam Heyward (2011), inside linebacker Devin Bush (2019), outside linebackers T.J. Watt (2017) and Bud Dupree (2015) and safety Terrell Edmunds (2018). The others were acquired via trade or as free agents — inside linebacker Mark Barron (2012) and cornerback Joe Haden (2010), in addition to Fitzpatrick (2018).
That’s five more No. 1 picks than the top defense in the NFL in 2018 (Baltimore) and three more than two others in the top four (Chicago, Minnesota). The Steelers are hoping all that pedigree will elevate their defense to something approaching an elite level, even though they have a long way to go.
In 2018, they ranked sixth in total defense, allowing 327.2 yards per game, and 16th in scoring defense with 22.5 points per game. After two games this season, they rank 29th in total defense (445 yards per game) and are fifth worst in scoring defense, allowing 30.5 points per game.
Consider this: If cornerback Artie Burns (2016) had to replace Steve Nelson for some reason, and Tyson Alualu (2010) was lined with Heyward in either the nickel or dime defense, 10 of the 11 players on the field would be No. 1 draft picks.
Pedigree is nice. But performance is better.