The Oakland Raiders made huge waves over the weekend when they traded for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. The Raiders traded a third round pick and a fifth round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Steelers for Brown. They then signed Brown to a new contract with a three-year payout of $50.125 million.
Antonio Brown trade improves Raiders Super Bowl odds
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
The Raiders entered the offseason with a whole lot of holes to patch up, and they have taken a big step forward in acquiring Brown. It is not a move that will lock down a Super Bowl appearance, but with cap space and three first round picks, the Raiders could do some big things this offseason.
Prior to the trade, the Raiders were at the back of the pack in Super Bowl 54 odds. They were 100/1 at the Westgate SuperBook, but have improved to 80/1 following the trade. The Mirage improved the Raiders from 80/1 to 60/1 based on Brown’s move and the fact that they have already taken sizable liability on the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Steelers were 20/1 at the SuperBook before the trade and were downgraded to 25/1 following the move. CG Technology downgraded them from 22/1 to 25/1.
The next round of Super Bowl odds will arrive in early April after the first few waves of free agency have subsided. The Raiders have roughly $58.7 million in cap space, which provides them the space to add some more playmakers for Derek Carr, or make a run at some defensive talent to improve a shoddy unit. If they can build some hype, we could see those odds come down even further. Add in their eventual move to Las Vegas and the growing local fanbase, and the SuperBook might eventually have to make a sizable move on that number.
