picking up pass rusher Clelin Ferrell at 4th overall, running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram late in the first and cornerback Trayvon Mullen early

ALAMEDA Antonio Brown Raiders Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Rookie general manager Mike Mayock and coach Jon Gruden had meticulously put together a plan to rebuild the Oakland Raiders with three first-round draft picks and a couple of smart free agent signings when they suddenly got sent in a different direction last week.The Pittsburgh Steelers were willing to trade the NFL’s most prolific wide receiver for two mid-round draft picks, assuming the Raiders could come to terms on a new contract for Antonio Brown.“When we discovered we might have a chance for his services, it changed everything,” Mayock said Wednesday after the Raiders officially added Brown as their first big move of the new league year.The Raiders dealt third- and fifth-round picks in the upcoming draft to the Steelers and gave Brown a new three-year contract worth $50.125 million, a relatively small price to pay for a player who has averaged more than 100 catches and 1,500 yards receiving per season over the last six years.The trade ended a very messy and very public divorce between Brown and the team that helped mold him from a sixth-round pick into arguably the greatest wide receiver of his generation.“Pittsburgh will always be my family,” Brown said. “Those guys gave me a chance when I was a 21-year-old kid. People listen to the things that are being said and written. At the end of the day, it’s all about how you make people feel. I think I made people feel really great and really inspired the way they watched me go to work, the way they watched me play. … I know Steeler Nation is having a bad day today, but it’s always love.”Mayock and Gruden have admired Brown from afar during their time as broadcasters, with both calling him the hardest-working practice player they have ever seen.The 30-year-old Brown was an All-Pro four straight years from 2014-17 and is the first player ever with at least 100 catches and 1,200 yards receiving in six straight seasons. His 686 catches and 9 Womens Antonio Brown Jersey ,145 yards since 2013 are the most ever for any player in a six-year span.“He’s done everything in his power to be the best he can possibly be on and off the field,” Gruden said. “His body of work is not only impressive, but fun to watch. He’s electrifying after the catch, he’s a great competitor, he wins the 50-50 ball, he’s outstanding in short areas. You have a great imagination as a football coach when you coach a man like this. He can play split end, he can play flanker, he can play in the slot. He can return punts and sell popcorn at halftime. We’re excited about this guy.”Brown is one of several additions the Raiders have made to start the new league year. They agreed to a four-year, $66 million deal with tackle Trent Brown to bolster the line and a four-year, $42 million contract with safety Lamarcus Joyner during the negotiating period.Brown, a former seventh-round pick, got the richest deal ever for an offensive lineman after helping New England win the Super Bowl after being traded from San Francisco.“What took my game to the next level was just going to an organization who believed in me Antonio Brown Jersey White ,” Brown said. “A locker room full of guys who just believed in each other, pushed each other. We worked hard as a team every day. No egos. Just confidence shot through the roof. I’ve kind of felt disrespected about the trade and I wanted to prove everybody wrong.”They also added another receiver Wednesday, signing former Chargers deep threat Tyrell Williams to a four-year deal worth a reported $44 million.Williams had 41 catches for 643 yards and five touchdowns last season. He has averaged 16.3 yards per catch for his career, the fifth-highest mark among players with at least 100 catches since he entered as an undrafted free agent out of Western Oregon in 2015.The additions of Antonio Brown and Williams on the outside and a top pass blocker in Trent Brown should help quarterback Derek Carr regain the form he had when he was one of the better quarterbacks in the league in 2016 before regressing the past two years.Carr and Brown have already started working out together at a nearby park and are excited to see what they can do on the field.“It’s refreshing,” said Brown, who clashed with Ben Roethlisberger during the end of his time in Pittsburgh. “I think he’s hungry for success, hungry to turn the organization around, hungry to get on the winning side of things. I’m just hungry for the same things.”The Raiders also completed a trade that sent guard Kelechi Osemele and a sixth-round pick to the Jets for a fifth-round pick. The moment the schedules were released, the oddsmakers put out their point spreads for the season opening games. That was April 17. Before the draft and OTA’s and minicamp. With those initial odds,..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesSilver And Black Pride homepageHorizontal - WhiteSilver And Black Pridean Oakland Raiders communityFollow Silver And Black Pride online:Follow Silver And Black Pride on TwitterFollow Silver And Black Pride on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchSilver And Black Pride main menuFanpostsFanshotsRaidersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Raiders StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Raiders NewsYahoo Raiders Team PageYahoo Raiders ReportYahoo Raiders Depth ChartYahoo Raiders TransactionsYahoo Raiders PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Raiders holding steady as 2.5-point favorites over Broncos in season openerNew,28commentsPDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Raiders holding steady as 2.5-point favorites over Broncos in season openerTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe moment the schedules were released, the oddsmakers put out their point spreads for the season opening games. That was April 17. Before the draft and OTA’s and minicamp. With those initial odds Bo Jackson Jersey White , the Raiders were 2.5-point favorites over the visiting Broncos on Monday Night Football.Now, nearly three months later, with both the Raiders and Broncos’ rosters pretty much how they will look heading into training camp, the latest odds have come out. And the Raiders are still 2.5-point favorites according to @WilliamHillUSThe biggest changes for both teams since then came through the draft. The Broncos picked up tight end Noah Fant in the first round and guard Dalton Risner and quarterback Drew Lock in the second. Then got great value in Dre’Mont Jones in the third.The Raiders had four picks in the first 40, picking up pass rusher Clelin Ferrell at 4th overall, running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram late in the first and cornerback Trayvon Mullen early in the second round. They had no third round pick.At this juncture there is no reason to believe either team came out better than the other. Fant was a top tight end in this draft, and someone the Raiders had their eye on. Risner is one of the top guards in the draft — also a player the Raiders could have used. And Lock was thought of by some to be a first round product who could challenge Joe Flacco for the starting QB job. For the Raiders, Ferrell instantly adds much needed pass rush. Jacobs steps in immediately as the team’s starting running back as does Abrams at safety. Mullen will be valuable depth at cornerback and compete for snaps.It could be the only thing that would change this line between now and the game is a major injury.Follow @LeviDamien