One of the more underrated signings of the offseason was the Raiders bringing in veteran receiver John Brown. After losing Nelson Agholor, the team needed another vertical threat who could help complement Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards.
While Brown is older than Agholor, he is certainly more accomplished and has more experience as an outside receiver. In 2019, Brown was a 1,000-yard receiver for the Bills and one of the more efficient players in the league. With the Raiders, he’ll be asked to keep up that efficiency on limited targets and snaps.
Another reason why this signing made so much sense for the Raiders was due to the cost.
According to a recent article by Pro Football Focus, Brown’s contract was named among the best in the NFL. He signed a one-year deal worth just $3.75 million and that is quite the deal considering Agholor signed for much, much more. Here is what the site had to say about Brown and the signing:
“The Las Vegas Raiders used wide receiver Nelson Agholor in a capacity we’ve become accustomed to seeing Brown deployed in, stretching the defense on deep routes while occasionally attacking the intermediate parts of the field once defenders start giving him a nice cushion. While the Raiders let Agholor sign with New England — a deal that almost landed him on this list — they smartly waited for the Bills to part ways with Brown and landed him for great value. Brown produced 41 explosive plays from 2019-20, good for 29th among wide receivers.”
At $3.75 million, Brown is being paid the equivalent of a blocking tight end or a fullback. Even special teamers can earn more money than what Brown is set to be paid in 2021. If Brown can even come close to replicating the success he had in 2019, the Raiders will have stolen a top-30 receiver in free agency.
Look for Brown to play a big role in the offense for the Raiders this season at a very team-friendly price.
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