Antonio Brown is now playing Week 1 and good luck guessing what happens next

Antonio Brown apologized to the Oakland Raiders locker room and is now slated to play in Week 1 but who knows what could happen in the next 72 hours.

On Thursday, it seemed like Antonio Brown may never actually suit up for the Oakland Raiders. After a heated spat with general manager Mike Mayock, the wide receiver was on track to be suspended and then potentially be released. Less than 24 hours later, it’s as if nothing happened in the Bay Area.

As reported by ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Brown arrived at the Raiders facilities on Friday and apologized to the entire locker room and organization. Not long after that report, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported that the wide receiver would play on Monday night in Week 1, which head coach Jon Gruden then confirmed.

Talk about a complete 180-degree turnaround in a short time. But really, that’s been the story with Antonio Brown in the silver and black to this point.

First, Brown showed up at training camp in a hot-air balloon, only raising the theatrics for the superstar’s arrival in Oakland. But then he was absent from the field for what turned out to be frostbitten feet. When that seemed to be close to resolved, though, the helmet saga then ensued. Right after finding a new helmet, this latest debacle unfolded.

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Make no mistake, the Raiders having Brown on the field for Monday Night Football at home against the Denver Broncos in Week 1 is great for the team. Despite all of the drama, Brown is the linchpin for Derek Carr and the Oakland passing attack, making everything run as it’s supposed to.

With Brown on the field, it’s hard not to be a bit intrigued by this offense. Brown is an elite wide receiver flanked by solid players like Tyrell Williams, rookie Hunter Renfrow and breakout candidate at tight end Darren Waller. Furthermore, that should open up things for rookie running back Josh Jacobs. If Carr can deliver, this group can clearly flash some positive things.

At the same time, though, it’s impossible to think that things are going to proceed normally for the next 17 weeks of the regular season with Antonio Brown in the Raiders. Whether you want to say it’s weekly or daily, a new dose of diva-like behavior has become a regular occurrence leading up to the start of the regular season.

Would anyone be surprised if something were to happen between Friday and Monday night that could lead to another outlandish scenario between Brown and the Raiders? Not in the slightest, at least from my perspective. This has become a situation where you can’t count anything out.

In fact, it would be a longshot if things actually did go smoothly from here on out with the wide receiver and his new team. Maybe it won’t be as dramatic as potentially facing his release but it appears inevitable that something else will transpire — and likely sooner rather than later.

For now, Antonio Brown will make his Oakland Raiders debut on Monday night in Week 1. That’s great for the team and, at this point, for the player. As for what happens beyond that, though, all we can do is wait and see because there’s no chance anyone could predict the next chapter in this saga given the calamity we’ve seen already.