USA TODAY International Edition
Gruden sees Raiders’ plan coming together
Brown trade, free agent signings precede draft
PHOENIX – During his first season back at the helm of the Raiders, Jon Gruden drew sharp criticism as he traded away dominant pass-rusher Khalil Mack and top wide receiver Amari Cooper, as well as parting with other veteran players.
But as Gruden and the Raiders stockpiled draft picks and freed up salary-cap space, the coach insisted he had a plan. His vision has become apparent this offseason after the Raiders traded for all-pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and were aggressive in free agency, adding offensive tackle Trent Brown, safety Lamarcus Joyner and linebacker Vontaze Burfict, among others. The Raiders have three first-
round draft picks to further expedite their rebuilding efforts.
“This was part of our plan,” Gruden reiterated during Tuesday’s coaches breakfast at the NFL’s annual league meetings. “We lost a couple really good players last year and we acquired some draft picks, and we also acquired a lot of space to sign Trent Brown, Antonio Brown, Lamarcus Joyner. We don’t sign any of these players if we don’t have the cap space to get that done. So it’s a double-edged sword for us.
“We needed the draft capital to get young, emerging players and we needed the cap space to get Trent Brown, Antonio Brown, Vontaze Burfict, the men that we did because we felt we had a lot of needs and we’re doing the best we can to address as many as possible.”
There’s no denying Brown was the biggest pickup for Oakland, and Gruden didn’t hide his excitement. “Antonio Brown is going to bring us energy and charisma and all kind of juice to not only the meeting rooms, the practice field and the field on game day, and that’s something we’ve desperately needed,” Gruden said. “It means a lot. This guy has caught 100 passes or more I think six years in a row. He plays his best football in big games.”
Brown’s time in Pittsburgh ended on a sour note as his relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin had deteriorated. Brown received criticism for allegedly quitting on his team leading up to the Week 17 game before Pittsburgh’s eventual elimination from playoff contention. He also has been criticized for publicly displaying his displeasure with the Steelers as he waited for the team to trade him.
None of the drama involving Brown concerns Gruden.
“I have no problem with any of that,” he said. “You kidding me? We’ve got a chance to get Antonio Brown? I’ll walk to Pittsburgh to get him. I don’t have any problem with one aspect about Antonio Brown. I don’t know who would or why they would.”