Raiders DB Gets Into War of Words With Antonio Brown on Social Media
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown isn’t in the news nearly as much these days. However, he still likes to make his presence known by posting offensive comments on his social media pages.
On Sunday, Las Vegas Raiders defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. went viral on social media for posting photos and videos of himself wearing his full uniform despite having to stay home due to a broken fibula.
It was a lighthearted way for Johnson to still feel connected to his team despite not being able to play or travel due to the injury. On X, Brown took the photos of Johnson and captioned them “CTE of the day.”
The Raiders defensive back took issue with that and clapped back at the former wide receiver.
“Next time tag me (expletive) BOY,” Johnson wrote on X. “AINT YOU RUNNING FROM THE FEDS.”
Brown has had numerous run-ins with the law over the years, which is what Johnson is referencing. Also, there’s been much speculation that Brown actually sold his X account to somebody else who is pretending to be him. Johnson must not be up to date on that, as he’s likely not arguing with Brown himself. Regardless, there’s nothing wrong with Johnson finding unique ways to support his team.
Raiders Defense Played Well Without Johnson in Week 1
Unfortunately for Johnson, he’s likely not going to play this season as he continues to recover from his injury. It looked like he was going to be a key player for the team this season before he got hurt.
The Raiders seem keen on giving him another chance next year, but in the meantime, the defense looked strong in Week 1. They held the New England Patriots to just 13 points and only allowed three in the second half.
“Everybody is talking about the defense is going to be the weakness of our team, but it was great to come out and have that type of game,” safety Isaiah Pola-Mao said after the game. “You’ve got to build off that.”
There are still some concerns about the depth the Raiders have on defense, but for now, they’ve proven that it won’t be easy to walk all over them.
“Defense did a tremendous job in the second half to hold them down, getting off the field on the third downs and all of that, just playing tough as heck,” head coach Pete Carroll said.
Will Secondary Be Able to Hold Up?
The biggest concern on the defense is the secondary. The group is very young and there isn’t great depth.
They held up well in Week 1, but they might not have as easy a time against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.
Kyu Blu Kelly was a player who shot up the depth chart this offseason and became a starter. Carroll singled him out as a player who impressed him.
“I thought Kyu Blu did a nice job fighting to the hands without making something that impeded that receiver,” Carroll said. “I challenged both of them, and I thought those guys played really well.”
Proposed Trade Has Seahawks Swap Sam Darnold for $212 Million Ex-Pro Bowl QB
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off an offseason with several major quarterback moves. Seattle opted to trade Geno Smith and later sign Sam Darnold as the team’s new QB1.
The Seahawks also selected Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, but the former Alabama standout still appears to need some experience before being able to make a major impact. Trading Smith was done in part as a financial move as the Seahawks could not agree on a contact extension with the former Pro Bowler.
Ultimately, Smith signed a two-year, $75 million extension, putting him under contract with the Las Vegas Raiders through 2027. Darnold inked a three-year, $100 million deal, meaning the Seahawks quarterback is signed through 2027 as well.
Comparing the two deals shows Seattle saved a little more than $4 million annually, on average, by signing Darnold over Smith’s eventual contract. Not everyone is convinced that Darnold is a viable solution for the Seahawks.
Could Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa be a better fit for the Seahawks?
Proposed Trade Has Seahawks Give Up Massive Haul for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Sports Illustrated’s Thomas Carelli floated a wild blockbuster quarterback swap. The proposed trade has the Seahawks landing Tagovailoa while sending Darnold and a haul to South Beach.
Seattle also trades two first-round picks (2026, 2027) and a third rounder (2027) to Miami as part of the deal. The analyst makes the argument for why the Seahawks may consider giving up this many assets in the deal.
“Tua Tagovailoa is still a solid quarterback when healthy,” Carelli wrote in a September 8, story titled, “NFL Mock Trade: Tua Tagovailoa Sent to Seattle Seahawks for Sam Darnold.” “A team like Seattle may decide that they can get a quarterback that fits their run-pass scheme very well. Tua carries a cap hit of well over $50M AAV, but Darnold carries $33.9M in 2026 and $41.9M in 2027. This contract swap is not as drastic as you would think for Seattle.
“The Seahawks have Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator and he loves a run-to-pass concept. This is where Tua has thrived with Mike McDaniel. Short-passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp where Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet run wild could be reminiscent of that lethal 2023 Dolphins team.”
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Has a Concerning Injury History
While this is a fun thought exercise, the Seahawks should hang up immediately if this kind of trade is ever on the table. Seattle should not give up three significant future draft picks for a quarterback with a checkered injury history.
Tagovailoa missed six games in 2024 and has unfortunately dealt with multiple concussions in addition to other injuries. The Dolphins quarterback’s four-year, $212 million contract is slated to go through 2028.
Tagovailoa’s best season came in 2023 when the quarterback threw for 4,624 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 69.3% of his passes in 17 starts during his lone Pro Bowl campaign.
This Seahawks-Dolphins Trade Proposal Is a Hard Pass for Seattle
The trade has the Seahawks acquiring an expensive quarterback with availability that has been much more of a question mark than Darnold. Even if this were a one-for-one quarterback swap, it is hard to feel confident that Tagovailoa would make Seattle significantly better.
It is way too small of a sample size to dismiss Darnold as the Seahawks QB1. If Seattle does eventually hit the reset button, the front office may be wiser to address the position with a first-round draft pick rather than trade for an expensive quarterback.
