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Houston Texans: Signing Antonio Brown was likely not even a possibility

By Brian K. Patterson

New England Patriots receiver Antonio Brown, who likely wasn't targeted by the Houston Texans (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
New England Patriots receiver Antonio Brown, who likely wasn't targeted by the Houston Texans (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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After being released by the Raiders, Antonio Brown was a free agent for a few hours. It’s highly likely the Houston Texans did not express interest. Why?

It’s “go” time for the Houston Texans as they will take on their first opponent of the season in the New Orleans Saints tomorrow night.  Considering the offseason moves that they made — as well as the blunder with Jadeveon Clowney — the expectations are higher than ever for this team to perform.

We’re now going into Deshaun Watson‘s third season under center and him having even more experience being the team’s signal-caller, we can only hope the offense surrounding him will rise to the level of his play.  We know that DeAndre Hopkins, his top target, will do so but the rest of the offense remains in question, especially with their health.

There’s a good chance that Keke Coutee won’t be playing tomorrow as he’s still nursing an ankle injury that he sustained earlier in the preseason.  He’s been limited in practice as of late so it’s always a coin-flip on if he’ll be available.  But the recent acquisition of Kenny Stills does relieve some pressure off Bill O’Brien for trying to find a replacement just in case Coutee is not ready to go.

But anyway, Antonio Brown, arguably the top headline-grabber of the offseason, was released from the Oakland Raiders yesterday and was a free agent for a few hours before being snatched up by the New England Patriots.

Brown signed a one-year deal worth up to $15 million, that includes a $9M signing bonus so it goes to show how serious the Pats were about bringing him into the fold.  It’s mind-boggling on how Brown weaseled his way out of $30M guaranteed but the situation must’ve been that bad for him.

When the news broke about his release, it had NFL fans alike wondering what things would be like if their respective team were able to jump in on the sweepstakes.

I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the Houston Texans weren’t interested in Brown’s services.

As much as O’Brien preaches the concept of being a team player, Brown’s mindset, as well as his emotional baggage, would be a terrible fit for this team.  He would go against the grain of the creed of this team.  Although I fantasized on how potent this offense would be with him in the fold, I knew that this wasn’t even remotely a possibility.

If things weren’t working out with Clowney, it sure as hell wouldn’t work with Brown.  Although their beef with the team were two different concerns, they were distractions to their teams and if there’s one thing that O’Brien doesn’t like, it’s any type of disruption that derails the concept of team unity.

I was afraid the Pats were going to snatch him up and they’re probably going to be damn good offense coupled with Julian Edelman and the great Tom Brady under center but I think that Bill Belichick is the best coach to be able to corral Brown’s temperament.

He’s respected and has brought in players with issues before and was able to get an immense

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amount of results from them.

O’Brien doesn’t have that level of clout at this time — he still has much to prove — and if I were a player trying to choose between teams, I’m going with the guy that’s going to help me win a Super Bowl.

If I were Belichick, that’s all I’d have to say.  I’d ask and tell the hottest free agent on the market, “Do you want to win?  That’s what we do around here and you know that.”

HOOK. LINE. SINKER!

And besides, the Houston Texans have a potent receiving core, encompassing Will Fuller, Hop, Stills and a healthy Coutee.

dark. Next. Texans' aggression in the offseason spells a new era

So in retrospect, the Houston Texans could use Brown’s services but they didn’t necessarily need him so that’s why they took a pass and I’m not upset with them about it.  He was a luxury that they decided not to afford for.

Nonetheless — I can’t wait for the start of the season!  Here we go — come on Houston Texans!

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