ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on prior to Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The New England Patriots predictably signed Antonio Brown on Saturday, but the marriage isn’t guaranteed to have a happy ending.
Antonio Brown could make the Patriots an unstoppable force. He could also be cut by Week 3. It’s all in play.
After signing Brown to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million (including a $9 million signing bonus), the NFL world is largely exulting Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as an evil genius.
Belichick did it again.
Maybe he did. Maybe this is a repeat of Randy Moss, who came over from the Oakland Raiders as a disgruntled talent and immediately posted 23 touchdowns in a record-setting, 16-0 season. Maybe this goes the way of Chad Ochocinco, Joey Galloway and Albert Haynesworth. Who knows.
The Patriots came into Saturday as the second choice of Vegas to win Super Bowl LIV behind the Kansas City Chief. The two have switched spots now, with New England adding another Hall of Famer to an already loaded roster. It almost seems unfair.
Of course, we’ve seen other teams load up in the past like this. The Patriots did it two years ago and had some believing they could go undefeated. Kansas City plowed them on opening night. They ended up reaching the Super Bowl before losing to Nick Foles, and almost losing to Blake Bortles at home in the AFC title game.
We saw this in 2010 with the Philadelphia Eagles and their self-proclaimed Dream Team. That group finished 8-8.
None of this is to say the Patriots can’t add Brown seamlessly before steamrolling their way to a seventh Super Bowl win in the Brady-Belichick era. It’s possible.
It’s also possible this entire thing is underwhelming.