Taped Phone Call Reveals Eagles Were Among Main Suitors For Antonio Brown
Hope you all enjoyed the Bryce Harper free agency documentary last night. Antonio Brown is doing his own free agency documentary of sorts (even though he just forced himself into being traded) now that he’s with the Raiders.
Yesterday, he released this taped conversation between his and his super agent Drew Rosenhaus that occurred about a week before he was traded to the Raiders:
Antonio Brown shared audio of a trade conversation he had with agent Drew Rosenhaus. #Patriots, #Eagles, #Titans, #Bills and #Raiders all discussed in the audio. AB makes it clear he didn't want Buffalo. Belichick and #Steelers GM Kevin Colbert did speak.https://t.co/Ngb1GfeSga
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 26, 2019
During the tape, the Eagles, and specifically Carson Wentz, are mentioned on multiple occasions. If you’re at work or at school and can’t listen to the video, I got you with the Sparknotes as it pertains to the Eagles
•Eagles were one of the main suitors (or at least Rosenhaus says so) for Brown in the end.
•Rosenhaus was pushing Brown towards the Patriots and Eagles because he wanted him to play in a winning culture and for one of “the last two Super Bowl winning teams”
•Rosenhaus told Brown he wanted to work something out with either the Eagles or Patriots but admitted money could be an issue. He cited the Titans as a team that could make a splash but the Pats/Eagles may not be able to match because they are more well established.
•Antonio Brown stated that getting traded to the Eagles and playing with Carson Wentz would be a “win win” for him.
If I had to choose a biggest takeaway from those bullet points, it would be the last one. Here we are on talk shows in the area, debating if Wentz has something to prove still. Meanwhile, the elite talent in the league and most notable agent want to team up with him. No matter what you think of Antonio Brown (I think he’s an absolute asshole) he is still one of the best, if not the best player at his position. For a player of his stature and an agent like Rosenhaus to be pushing towards playing with the Eagles because of people like Wentz should really tell you something.
This tape has helped evolve a comparison/take I’ve been working on for awhile: The Patriots are Alabama while the Eagles are Clemson.
On one side you’ve got New England, the big boring winning machine, just like Alabama. They are well established as the class of class behind their no-nonsense coach who is a robot programmed to feel no emotion and just win. For over the past decade and some, they have seen elite talent come and go. Every year they reload. And every year they keep winning the same way. It’s not flashy, but the trophy case just keeps growing.
On the other side of the coin is the up-and-comer. Clemson and the Eagles have just recently tasted success, and beat the winning machine (Pats, Tide) to do so. One of the big strengths for Doug Pederson, much like Dabo Swinney, is his emotional connection to his players. Players want to play for him, and win with him. They haven’t been an elite program for very long, but it’s clear the main threat of the most well established winning program is this newcomer to the scene.
Alabama and the Patriots do it one way. Clemson and the Eagles do it another. It still puts them on a collision course at the top of their respective leagues. That’s why people like Antonio Brown want to play for them.