On March 10, 2019, Antonio Brown beat the system. The disgruntled All-Pro wide receiver demanded a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers and was actually granted his request. A shocking outcome because one) It saddles the Steelers with over $21 1000000 in dead salary money they'll have to swallow this flavour, and 2) The NFL thrives on suppressing the agency of its players at every possible turn.

Meanwhile, situations identical to AB's take place on the regular in the NBA. Just inquire Kristaps Porzingis, Kyrie Irving, and Paul George—stars nether contract with a team who expressed a desire to go out. Talk to Anthony Davis in a few months. Basketball game players sit comfortably in the driver's seat, steering the auto of their career in any direction they cull while football game players face a different reality.

In the archaic NFL, owners and GMs human the wheel with the players—no thing the caliber—strapped tightly into the backseat. Thanks to non-fully guaranteed contracts, they possess much less power than their NBA brothers, which made Chocolate-brown'due south ability to maneuver his way out unique and ultimately triumphant. Information technology also represented a large "fuck y'all" to the league, especially when yous consider he wound up in Oakland, a desired destination. Not fifty-fifty NBAers enjoy that luxury. Wait how far the Spurs shipped Kawhi Leonard abroad from his native Southern California!

Does this hateful the power dynamics in the NFL are shifting from the suits to the athletes?

"I don't recall the NFL is changing," Brown told Circuitous exclusively. "I don't feel like it'due south getting better. The thing I was able to practice was unprecedented. It'll probably never be done once again."

Perhaps AB is correct in positing that he is the anomaly and owners will go along to profit on the backs of their players. But maybe this is the commencement pace in a larger revolution. The immense power Chocolate-brown flexed is something we've never seen in the NFL earlier, so he's successfully fix a new precedent. And one time something happens for the first time, you can count on it happening once more.

Nosotros chopped it up with No. 84 almost histrion bureau in the NFL, likewise as his new YouTube channel and podcast, the Giants trading Odell Beckham Jr., his experience on The Store, and more than.

(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)

I wanted to showtime by proverb congratulations on the new team, the new contract. Y'all must be psyched about them.
It's a great accolade, man. I've got a fresh starting time in a dandy situation with some great people, and I'k just honored to put my paw in the pile and be a function of it.

That's awesome. I gotta ask you before nosotros jump into the YouTube aqueduct, are you shipping that legendary sneaker collection of yours out to the Bay or are you keeping it in Miami?
This legendary sneaker collection gotta come to the Bay, man. I gotta bear witness them what I'm stepping like and bear witness 'em how to step correct, and then definitely about to transport that shoe drove to the Bay surface area and become ready to go.

Which sneakers are you making sure that yous take with you?
All the all-whites, all my Off-Whites, all my Nike high-ends. Plainly the AB Boomins. The AB trainers are coming. Just all the sectional shoes that help me perform comfortably and look wing of class.

Practice you have whatever sneaker-related projects in the works at present in light of the new city, new team?
We got the Boomin' Boxes. We got the Boomin' Boxes coming for Raider nation and the whole globe. It's a carefree box that the network helped me produce and package up. There's gonna be some nice, heady things in the box. I can't actually explain to you what's in the Boomin' Box, but nosotros have some great things coming for our fans and Raider nation.

It's absurd hearing about another athlete starting their own content platform. Can you tell us a little bit near what we tin can await to run across on the YouTube channel?
Well, YouTube is an incredible platform that provides me with a platform to apply my voice and limited myself. And then you'll be able to see the day-to-mean solar day lifestyle of me, my team (the Raiders), the AB84 squad, and my family unit. How we spend our time and how we maximize our time. Existence the most productive, the most efficient that we can be in regards to work, preparation, recovering, eating. Just open upwardly my life and allow fans to see what information technology takes to exist AB and my squad of people that aid me be me. The guys in my corner when I'm coming in from a fight. Merely helping me get up and set and get prepared for the side by side fight. Raider nation become ready, we almost to be boomin'.

On a recent episode of The Shop, you talked with LeBron, Meek Manufacturing plant, and others virtually how the media works to command the athlete's narrative. How much did that idea of controlling your own narrative cistron into starting the YouTube channel?
It absolutely factored into it! For me it was seeing what I went through to eventually land in Raider Nation. I had to go through all of that media scrutiny of people talking downward and trying to bring me down, creating narratives that were so untrue. It actually inspired me to make my YouTube aqueduct and commencement this platform to give me the voice and opportunity to express myself now, never allowing these corporate companies who piece of work for the NFL to create bad narratives about me.

We all know when ESPN and these people say certain things, it'll have an issue on the world and on what the public perception becomes of me. Having that YouTube platform with its nigh two billion users, I'chiliad excited to control that narrative, to share the truth. I desire to give fans a perspective that they may non ever get with an interview on some of these corporate media outlets.

So the YouTube channel will offer people a behind-the-scenes look at your life on and off the field. What will the podcast sound similar?
The podcast is not like an interview setting. Information technology's just me having a conversation with real people I love, like Bill Romanowski and other people effectually me. Assuasive people in the world to know, "Okay, what's AB's mindset? Who helped him practice all this training stuff? Why the hell does he practise this stuff anyways?"

Or nosotros might exist breaking downwards my opponent. My Uncle Bill volition report the cornerback I'm playing that week, and we gon' sit down and talk well-nigh what we program on doing against him. Then when we do it, we're not only saying our words, but our words are becoming our actions. So that's what the podcast is most. Encouraging people with our words, and hopefully inspiring them with our actions.

It sounds like we'll get plenty of football content on in that location. Are you guys going to stick to strictly football and only talk to football related guests or take other guys come up on at that place?
No, nosotros're gonna talk about life, too. We got 84/seven, the gym that I own, and we're gonna talk about business. We're gonna sit downwardly with my financial people and talk well-nigh finances. We're going to educate the world from a full perspective. It's not but going to be about football—it'south going to be about life, nutrition, training, recovering, existent keys with existent people that care. People can tune in and learn from and abound from and go better past listening to these guys.

Equally a role player, you gotta understand when teams pay y'all a certain corporeality of money, they want you to exist a certain type of way. Not just with your play, only with your leadership, with your deportment.

Correct now, I am a leader in everything I am doing. Everything I've put out, people follow. They listen, they take heed to it, they take it in. And then with these podcasts, it's more opportunity to be a better leader and to put out more positive stuff. I want to encourage and inspire people on how to do better business. Talk about 1099s and the NFL and Nike and some of these companies merely paying me 5 percent of my royalties. With my jersey sales, [which are] No. five in the NFL, the NFL pays me a 1000000 dollars at five percent. How much more than are the NFL and Nike making off of me? That's an extra nine or 10 million [dollars]. So we're merely going to be educating people on things because I retrieve the public is so outdated with information. Give them an heady experience, something they can await towards and abound from and acquire from.

That sounds similar a corking educational tool for people. Another thing you lot discussed on The Shop was setting yourself up now for a career later football. What do y'all envision yourself doing subsequently football is over?
I got a lot of football game left, man, so I don't know. Correct now, I'm just thinking about stuff right now that tin can help with when I'm done playing. Me and my uncle talked about me playing the next 10 years. When we talk, it's not like we're merely proverb this shit. My uncle already talkin' to me like, "Yo, we already passed Jerry Rice. Similar fuck Jerry Rice," yous know what I mean? Not personally, but in the sense of I'm playing the adjacent ten years and am setting myself up at present for when I'm done playing.

I've got the podcast, the 84/7, the gym, maybe I'll open one in Vegas. Meet if my uncle possibly wants to open one in Oakland. We're already setting ourselves up for when the game's over, protecting our money, locking it up. Million dollar 529 [plan] for the kids, annuity, tax-free bonds. Evidently, life after football is going to nowadays a lot of opportunities, but right now we're just singularly focused on playing the game, playing at a high level. I couldn't really come across myself doing zippo else but beingness the all-time player.

One final question about The Shop. There were so many iconic figures in that conversation. LeBron, Meek, Jamie Foxx, Anthony Davis, yourself: What was your biggest takeaway from that conversation? Either a story or a piece of advice that actually resonated with you?
The prove was only 20 minutes, but we literally sat in a room for four hours and but talked about real issues and was breaking bread like real people. The whole thing is nosotros gotta keep to be leaders. Obviously, we know people at the top of these food chains are not making it piece of cake for people similar us to get up there. But equally people who are up there, we gotta create ways and create leverage for other people to be able to progress up. That'southward it. We gotta create opportunities, as leaders, that inspire people to be able to brand the next steps in their lives, and nosotros're the influences of that.

I gotta exist leery of what I put out, leery of what I do. Because I know anything I'grand promoting, everyone that's watching is gonna be post-obit. As leaders, nosotros but want to have the function every bit leaders and do things right. Progress over pride, like LeBron said. That was the whole motivation that came out of that room. Progress over pride and being better leaders.

I'm a huge Giants fan. It absolutely crushed me when the team traded Odell Beckham, who I know is a skillful friend of yours. What were your first thoughts when you heard about that trade?
Information technology's part of the business concern. It's sad, but it'south part of business. Equally a player, you gotta understand when teams pay yous a certain amount of coin, they desire you to be a certain type of way. Not just with your play, merely with your leadership, with your actions. Patently, everyone was surprised, only honestly I'thou never surprised at what this game could bring. At the end of the mean solar day, information technology's a business. It's never personal. Just gotta exist always professional, and you tin never be surprised of the moves teams make. Obviously Odell is one of the unique players in the NFL, but if yous practice your research on all the Giants receivers and the history behind those guys, you tin can figure it out.

Antonio Brown Pro Bowl 2018
Image via USA Today Sports/Aaron Doster

We've begun seeing a tendency with NFL players this off-flavour of dudes basically flexing their agency. Evidently, yous requested a merchandise and you got one. Le'Veon Bell wanted a dissimilar contract construction, so he sabbatum out the flavor and is now with the Jets. Do you lot feel like the power dynamic in the NFL is changing at all?
I don't think the NFL is changing. I don't feel similar it's getting amend. The thing I was able to do was unprecedented. It'll probably never be washed again. For me to be able to accept the same contract, and not even add a year, just add more than money, I don't think that had ever been washed.

For me, it's all nigh irresolute the game and being dynamic and doing things that have never been done before. I'thousand but grateful that me and my team, Drew Rosenhaus, the keen people I have in my corner, we was able to do something special that'll probably never exist done again. I recall what it has done is really inspire players to take concur of their situation, run business better, make business organization boom, and do the right things in regards to your circumstance. So at the stop of the day y'all tin can be in the best position.

If in that location was i piece of advice you lot could offer an NFL actor who is dissatisfied in their current situation, or with their current team, what would it exist?
But watch AB. Report AB. That'southward it. If you need help, call Team AB84. We've got the best team in the league. We practise the best deals, we do the best marketing. Simply striking us up if you want your business organization boomin'. [Laughs.]

You're with the Raiders now. What was information technology about the organization that enticed you to sign an extension after the trade? How did autobus Jon Gruden sell yous on signing long-term?
Coach Gruden just got so much amazing energy. He's a loving person, actually caring, actually compassionate. He's just an astonishing guy. Talking to him you just feel expert. I never played for whatsoever other coach in my life that said he had 600 plays of me on tape and wanted to talk about them. So his level of written report for the game, his level of commitment for the game, his level of passion for the game is second-to-none. That's the guys yous wanna be around. Him and Mr. Mike Mayock, I remember they non only love the game, but are married to the game. I'k excited to piece of work with those guys and be nigh it with those guys.

The organization traded a lot of its core pieces final year, like Khalil Mack, like Amari Cooper, but of course they added yous this offseason. They added Trent Brown, they added some others. Is this squad in a rebuilding stage or are your guys' expectations for 2022 to win the Super Bowl?
Absolutely. Starting April 14th, our expectation is to win the Super Basin. Every time nosotros have the field, nosotros take the field with the goal of winning the Super Bowl. I feel like we've got a agglomeration of adept guys coming in on this squad, a lot of new guys, and we're gonna develop that expectation in the building right away. Everyone is here to win a Super Bowl. I think this team is going to exist really special, and I'one thousand excited to meet us get on that mission together.