It appears increasingly likely that Antonio Brown will never play a game for the Oakland Raiders, and the star wide receiver could very well leave the team without having made a single penny if that happens. In fact, he could owe the team money.
The Raiders fined Brown more than $215,000 on Friday for his animated confrontation with GM Mike Mayock, and in the process they voided the roughly $30 million in guaranteed money his contract was supposed to pay him. As Spotrac notes, Brown’s contract contained a $1 million signing bonus which was separated into two $500,000 workout bonuses. He needed to attend 85 percent of the team’s offseason program to earn that money, which he did not. Now that his guarantees have been voided, Brown would leave Oakland having made $0 if he’s released prior to Week 1.
Antonio Brown’s $1M signing bonus was actually two $500,000 workout bonuses that required he attend at least 85% of the offseason program. He didn’t, so he’s already lost $500k. If he’s released prior to Week 1, he’ll leave Oakland with $0 cash earned, & $0 dead cap.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 7, 2019
In total, Brown has been fined just under $270,000 between missed practices and his altercation with Mayock. He would still owe that money if he’s released, so it’s legitimately possible that his brief tenure with the Raiders could cost him $270K.
Albert Breer of The MMQB obtained a copy of Brown’s contract, and it includes standard language that states the guarantees can be voided if the player “does not report to Club; does not practice or play with Club (or) leaves Club w/o prior written approval.”
And in case you want to see for yourself, here’s the portion of Antonio Brown’s Raiders contract relating to his 2019 guarantees, complete with his signature on it.
Minimal gray area. pic.twitter.com/ZuSOq1ebjn
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 7, 2019
The NFL Players Association is sure to fight the Raiders on Brown’s behalf, but it’s hard to envision them making a strong case. Brown chose to stay away from the team while he was fighting with the NFL over a helmet model that no longer met safety standards, which resulted in the first fine that he publicly ripped the Raiders for. It’s possible that the goal for Oakland all along has been getting out of Brown’s contract, even after the Pro Bowler apologized on Friday and looked like he was ready to move forward.
