Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers continue doing wide receiver business

It was business as usual for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their recent dealings with the Silver and Black as they are sending Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders.

From 1972-76, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders faced each other in the playoffs an NFL-record five consecutive times. It was one of the most intense and physical rivalries in league annals and the battles extended beyond the playing field. Of course, that was a different age and time. And free agency changed the entire landscape of business within the NFL. It’s more business than personal than ever. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

So the reported deal sending seven-time Pro Bowler Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders (as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, via NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal) should hardly come as a surprise considering it’s the third-such recent transaction between the franchises.

Last offseason, Steelers’ general manager sent wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the Silver and Black for a third-round pick. A few months later, the Raiders dealt versatile wideout Ryan Switzer and a sixth-round selection to Pittsburgh for a fifth-round pick. In the Brown trade, the reported compensation between the Black and Gold and the Silver and Black is that the former gets third- and fifth-round draft choices from Oakland.

Is it far too early to ask who won and lost this deal? Of course. Yes, on the surface it would appears that the Steelers and general manager Kevin Colbert didn’t get enough bang for their buck. The team will also will take a big cap hit in the process for 2019.

But after months of disharmony for the organization, it’s a chance to for a do-over for a team that hasn’t been able to get over postseason hump (aka win a Super Bowl) in more than a decade. And the eventual proof will be what the organization does what those draft choices.

So can the Pittsburgh Steelers find a suitable replacement? That’s a tall order considering Brown’s unprecedented production of six consecutive 100-catch seasons. But keep in mind that he was a sixth-round draft choice in 2010.

As for some more recent history, Hines Ward was a third-rounder in 1998. Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace were third-round picks. Martavis Bryant came in the fourth round in 2014 and JuJu Smith-Schuster was a second-round selection in 2017. At the very least, you have to like the team’s chances.