Antonio Brown has altered the landscape of the Houston Texans and the other 30 NFL teams for the 2019 season after signing with the New England Patriots.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Antonio Brown has reportedly agreed to a one year deal worth up to $15 million with the New England Patriots and will face the Houston Texans in week 13. Brown was initially going to play with the Oakland Raiders after being traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers during the offseason.
The All-Pro receiver was acquired by Oakland for a third and fifth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft and the Raiders front office restructured his contract to make him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league. However, it wasn’t enough to ensure an amicable relationship from both sides.
Brown was released today after a long saga that included him missing time due to a helmet controversy, suffering frostbite injuries on his feet due to an improper Cryotherapy treatment, and a confrontation with Raiders’ general manager Mike Mayock over team fines.
Raiders are scheduled to play the Texans in week 9 without Brown, but the Texans will now have to shift their focus in facing Brown, Julian Edelman, and Josh Gordon when the Patriots come to town in week 13.
Outside of having to worry about the triple threat in the regular season, it is entirely likely the Texans or another AFC team will have to face the Patriots in the playoffs. Brown will join his third team in the AFC and give Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady another weapon in their stacked offense.