After all of this, the Oakland Raiders still need Antonio Brown

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown won’t stop talking. But because of his talent, the Raiders have no choice but to listen. Will it ever stop?

Somewhere, Rich Paul is smiling. Another superstar athlete has held his franchise hostage over, well, nothing.

And, because of that superstar athlete’s talent, his franchise has no other option but bend to his will, hoping that he’ll somehow come to his senses.

The Kansas City Chiefs welcomed back Tyreek Hill with open arms after an offseason rife with domestic abuse allegations — the Oakland Raiders and Antonio Brown are no different.

From his frostbitten feet to his helmet grievance against the NFL, the Raiders had no choice but to weather Antonio Brown’s storm of odd behavior, because what else are they supposed to do?

You could hear the anticipation in Jon Gruden’s voice as he pined to get Brown back on to the practice field. Gruden, perhaps more than anyone, knows that the only thing separating the Oakland Raiders from another miserable season is Antonio Brown.

Brown, after all, is a seven-time Pro Bowler who’s racked up over 11,000 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns across nine seasons.

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To call him a “step-up” from the other receivers Derek Carr has thrown to — and that includes Amari Cooper — is an understatement. So, what else could Gruden do but wait?

The Raiders play the Denver Broncos on Monday night and the the news juuussst broke that Brown will suit up in silver and black.

It was only yesterday that the Raiders reportedly planned to suspend Brown after he and Raiders general manager Mike Mayock had a heated confrontation.

But the Raiders never committed to this suspension, leaving the kitchen door cracked, just in case they could reconcile with Brown. Despite everything, the Raiders remained willing to risk their reputation as a franchise for Brown.