Rosenhaus, Brown thought Eagles or Patriots would make trade with Steelers

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The last time Antonio Brown posted a behind-the-scenes recording, it was from the Steelers’ locker room and Mike Tomlin was not amused. Now Brown had done it again, and given fans an interesting look into his conversations with agent Drew Rosenhaus before he was traded to the Raiders.

The audio, which Brown provided to the Boomin Experience podcast, reveals that Rosenhaus believed the Raiders’ interest was declining before the trade actually happened.

“Oakland, I think, is fading. I kind of get the sense that they’re fading a little bit,” Rosenhaus told Brown.

Rosenhaus thought instead that the Eagles or Patriots might be the teams to acquire Brown. The audio also confirms that Brown had no interest in playing in Buffalo, despite reports that the Bills and Steelers came close on a trade.

“When the Bills called me today they said, ‘If we make the trade, what are you guys looking for?’ I wouldn’t even give them a number because I know you don’t want to go there,” Rosenhaus told Brown.

Rosenhaus said there were six teams showing interest in a trade, and that he was pushing the Steelers to trade Brown to a good team with a good quarterback.

“The teams that want you right now are New England, Philadelphia, Tennessee, Washington and Buffalo, with Oakland still in the picture,” Rosenhaus said.

Both Rosenhaus and Brown seemed to think the trade compensation to the Steelers was going to be higher than it was, as they discussed the possibility of teams trading two first-round picks to the Steelers for Brown. In the end, the Raiders gave up only a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick.

Rosenhaus said he put Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert in touch with Bill Belichick but thought the Steelers might be hesitant to trade him to the Patriots. Rosenhaus also said the Steelers had shown an eagerness to get a deal done.

“The Steelers have been good communicators with me. We’ve talked a couple times every day,” Rosenhaus said.

The audio is a fascinating look at how Brown and Rosenhaus went through the process of orchestrating the trade, and Brown’s lucrative contract extension.