The Oakland Raiders have announced they’ve released Antonio Brown, making the wide receiver eligible to sign with any team at 4:01 p.m. ET Saturday. “We wish him the best,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden told ESPN’s Ed Werder in a text message.
“Now that Antonio is a free agent, we are focused on the future and I will immediately work on signing him to a new team,” Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said in a statement. “Antonio is looking forward to a new beginning.” The move comes after Brown asked to be released by the team in an Instagram post earlier Saturday.
Brown told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington in an email Saturday that there is “no way” he plays for the Raiders.
The Pro Bowl wide receiver said that was his stance after the team “took away my [contract] guarantees.” He added: “no way I play after they took that and made my contract week to week.”
The Raiders fined Brown $215,073.53 for conduct detrimental to the team, league sources told Schefter on Saturday.
By fining Brown, the Raiders voided the $29.125 million worth of guaranteed money in his deal, sources told Schefter.
In addition, the Raiders sent Brown a letter stating that he no longer will be entitled to termination pay, sources told Schefter. As a result, Brown would have been playing on a week-to-week basis with both his guaranteed money voided and lack of termination pay. Though Brown is cleared to sign with any team after 4 p.m. Saturday, he’s not eligible to play until Week 2 at the earliest.
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