The Steelers were determined not to trade receiver Antonio Brown to the Patriots or to any other team in the AFC North. And now Devin Singletary Jersey , of course, Antonio Brown plays for the Patriots.Both Adam Schefter of ESPN and Mike Giardi of NFL Network report that the Patriots did indeed try to trade for Brown in March, but the Steelers resisted their overtures. Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the Patriots actually offered a first-round pick for Brown.While the only good news is that the Steelers won’t have to face Brown tonight in New England, the Patriots get a major boost. And they get Brown without giving up trade compensation, without paying Brown $30 million in guaranteed money, and with a potential compensatory draft pick in 2021, if Brown leaves in free agency after this season.That guaranteed money Brown has lost in Oakland becomes the strongest argument against the notion that the trade to Oakland and inevitable release by the Raiders was part of a broader plan to get Brown to New England. Brown will get a $9 million signing bonus, a base salary close to the minimum for his level of service, and incentives worth another $5 million or so. That’s a far cry from $30 million.But while it may not have been planned from the get-go, once the proverbial Rubicon was crossed in Oakland (as a league source told PFT, the fine letter from G.M. Mike Mayock was the tipping point), it’s fair to wonder whether things were said behind the scenes regarding hypothetical interest in a hypothetical acquisition of a hypothetical player who may be available, hypothetically. The fact that the deal came together so quickly fuels that speculation — especially given the financial commitment made by the Patriots.Remember when everyone believed running back LeGarrette Blount misbehaved his way out of Pittsburgh Kyler Murray Jersey , knowing that the Patriots would welcome him back? Remember when Blount was pressed on that subject and didn’t deny it? Those same suspicions are wafting now, and even though Brown won’t be on the field or on the sidelines tonight in New England, it gives an added flavor to one of the best rivalries in football. EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings weren’t willing to part with Kyle Rudolph despite their lack of salary cap space, and the ninth-year tight end sure didn’t want to leave.No matter the tricky nature of making the numbers work for both sides, the mutual desire to keep the team’s longest-tenured offensive player in place was the driving force behind a four-year contract extension Rudolph signed on Tuesday with the Vikings .“I’ve bumped into a few people in the last week or so, and that was probably the number one question I got: ‘How’s Kyle? Is Kyle going to be here?’ And every one of them, when I said, ‘Yeah,’ were all glad,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “That’s the kind of guy he is in the community and how he represents the Vikings.”Rudolph had entered the final year of his current deal with a $7.25 million non-guaranteed salary, putting him at risk for being released after the Vikings drafted Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round.Making a rookie the primary player at that position would have been a big burden on Smith, though. As last season proved http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-dawson-knox-jersey , the Vikings need to give quarterback Kirk Cousins as many options in the passing game as possible after wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs drew heavy attention during the second half of the schedule.“I want to be a part of the first team to win a championship here,” Rudolph said. “We got a taste of it two years ago. When we got close, you had a feel for how important that would be to this state, to this community, to this fan base.”The exhaustive work by Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and Rudolph’s agents, Brian Murphy and Camron Hahn, produced a contract with a value of $36 million in new money and a little more than $16 million in total guarantees. After a conversion of base salary to signing bonus that reduced Rudolph’s cap hit, he’ll make a fully guaranteed $9 million this year. By almost any measure of contract value, Rudolph will be among the five highest-paid players in the NFL at his position.“It was easy for me to come out here and just focus on football, because I had two agents that I trust and I play for an organization that I trust,” Rudolph said after the team’s first practice of a three-day minicamp.Rudolph, a two-time Pro Bowl pick who had 64 receptions for 634 yards and four touchdowns in 2018, has remained a key cog in the offense though never quite reaching the levels of productivity of peers such as Rob Gronkowski http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dexter-lawrence-jersey , Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, Greg Olsen or Jason Witten have over the duration of his career. He is second among tight ends in Vikings history in catches and yards. Having played in every game over the past four seasons, Rudolph has a streak of 65 consecutive games started that is a franchise record and the longest active run by a tight end in the league.“I feel better now from a physical standpoint at 29 than I did at 21,” Rudolph said. “You just learn how to take care of your body.”The native of Cincinnati and product of Notre Dame has spoken often about how at home his family has felt in Minnesota . He’s a two-time nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for community service .“There’s a reason why I had no interest in testing free agency,” Rudolph said. “It’s because of the culture that they’ve established around here, and culture is what ultimately brings championships. In this league, the talent level is so even across all 32 teams, and if you don’t have good culture then you don’t have a chance.”
