Oakland Raiders: Antonio Brown situation reaching breaking point?

Facing a suspension from the Oakland Raiders, has the situation with wide receiver Antonio Brown reached its breaking point?

When the Oakland Raiders traded for Antonio Brown and subsequently gave him a restructured deal paying him more money, they understood the risks. They knew of the player’s reputation as a locker room distraction, about his big personality and the risk inherent in adding that type of player to the team.

And yet, it’s hard to believe they could have ever expected what’s happened. From his frostbitten feet to the helmet saga, things have been surreal regarding Brown’s tenure in Oakland.

Now, just as all of the drama seemed to have subsided and Antonio Brown appeared ready to take the field for Week 1 of the regular season, things have gotten worse. It started when Brown posted his list of fines from the Raiders to his Instagram Stories. Things escalated from there.

Next came the report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday that Brown could face a suspension from the Raiders. This stems from an incident on Wednesday when the wide receiver brought up the fines to general manager Mike Mayock and a “heated exchange” ensued. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown had to be held back before threatening to hit Mayock in the face and then punting a football:

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1169662591116951552

A suspension for Brown could truly hurt him financially. As noted by former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum, the guarantees in the wide receiver’s contract could be voided. That would nullify the near $30 million that Brown would otherwise get no matter what from Oakland.

Given that the guarantees could be voided with a looming suspension, it stands to reason that the Raiders could be opening the door to cutting the wide receiver. And really, we might be reaching that breaking point.

The talent of Antonio Brown is undeniable. When he’s on the field, few wide receivers — if any — in the NFL can keep up with his consistent production in an offense. At a certain point, though, he’s not worth keeping on the team for all of the distractions that he’s causing.

Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden have continually stood behind Brown this offseason, despite the calamity that he’s created. And yet, the drama just keeps getting poured on in Oakland. It’s one thing after another with no lessons learned and the reasons to keep the wide receiver starting to dwindle. Having the guaranteed money voided could be the nail in the coffin.

Perhaps Mayock and Gruden still deem Brown worth all of the extra baggage that he brings, even after this latest incident. Maybe there isn’t actually a breaking point that the wide receiver could reach where the Raiders no longer want him. That’s entirely possible.

If there is a breaking point, we’ve got to be close to it at this point — if we haven’t reached it already. The end of the saga could be nearing by the day.