Getty Former Raiders OL Trent Brown.
It’s been a tough week for the Las Vegas Raiders fan base as the franchise transitions away from Jon Gruden. The head coach was forced to resign after a number of emails containing racist, sexist and homophobic language from 2011 came out as part of an investigation into the Washington Football Team’s workplace culture. While Gruden is officially done with the team, the players and coaches still have games to play.
One of Gruden’s biggest acquisitions during his stint with the Raiders was the signing of offensive tackle Trent Brown. The team handed him a four-year, $66 million contract in 2019. When he was on the field, he was elite and even made a Pro Bowl. However, he was rarely on the field. He played in 16 games in two seasons with the team.
Brown has become a maligned figure for the Raiders fan base and they were happy to see him get traded to the New England Patriots in the offseason. He decided to take a veiled shot at the team by saying that “the grass greener” in New England amid all of the Gruden drama.
⛳️ the grass greener here
Needless to say, Raiders fans did not respond well to Brown’s tweet.
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Brown Gets Dragged by Raiders Fans
Nobody can deny Brown’s talent on the field when he’s fully healthy. He’s a Pro Bowl-level player and looked like the best right tackle in the NFL at times. However, he simply can’t consistently stay healthy. Since returning to the Patriots, Brown has played a grand total of one game and is currently on the team’s injured reserve.
Raiders fans were quick to point that out in response to Brown’s tweet.
@Trent Just sit this one out man. I mean, you’ve pretty much been sitting out since you got paid anyways right?
@Trent Pats IR better than Raiders?
@Trent You should probably sit this one out…oh wait that’s what you been doing for over a year.
@Trent How would you know? You are never on it… football field grass, anyway.
One fan questioned by Brown would go after the Raiders now considering the team paid him over $36 million to play in 16 games over two seasons.
@Trent You really think that after taking a pay cut? It’s too bad man you could have been truly great if you had just a little bit of discipline. I’m surprised you have anything bad to say about the Raiders considering how much they paid you
Raiders Made Right Call Trading Brown
The Raiders’ offensive line has been a mess this season. Rookie first-round pick Alex Leatherwood was drafted to replace Brown and has been one of the worst pass protectors in the NFL. Despite that, the Raiders were clearly right to trade Brown. He’s only played in one game this season and could’ve been a distraction for the team.
He also ate a huge chunk of cap space. The Raiders made their offensive line a lot less expensive this season. While that looks like a big mistake right now, the team’s defense may not have made the improvements it has if the team didn’t take money from the offensive line. If Brown was healthy, he’d be worth all that money, and the team would’ve likely kept him. However, he was not a dependable player for the Raiders and he hasn’t been for the Patriots this season. Leatherwood may not be the answer at right tackle but Brown wouldn’t have been either. Plus, the rookie can still develop despite some really bad growing pains to start his career.
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