Will Antonio Brown Play in Week 1? [UPDATE]

Antonio Brown was very unhappy about the Oakland Raiders fining him and voiding all of the guaranteed money in his contract. So unhappy that he asked for his release via Instagram. It’s a remarkable saga, one that somehow keeps stretching the edges of our imagination.
While Brown’s release may be imminent, the Raiders aren’t under any pressure to make a decision quickly. Thus, the question remains: what will happen if Brown is still a Raider come Monday night?
Will Antonio Brown play in Week 1?
Brown certainly isn’t planning on it. He emailed ESPN’s Jeff Darlington to express his intention to sit out after his money was voided.
I just got an email from Antonio Brown. He tells me the team “took away my guarantees.” He added there’s “no way I play after they took that and made my contract week to week.” So at this moment, once again, don’t expect AB to play on Monday Night Football.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) September 7, 2019
Of course, we’ve gone back and forth on this all week, and each day brings a new piece of news that makes us all lean the oppposite way of our previous thinking.
We’ll update if and when more information becomes available, but for now, it seems quite likely we won’t be seeing him suit up against the Denver Broncos.
UPDATE: The Raiders have announced they released Antonio Brown. He won’t be playing in Week 1.
UPDATE 2: The New England Patriots have signed Antonio Brown, but Brown is ineligible to take the field in Week 1. He’ll suit up for New England in Week 2.
For those asking: Antonio Brown is eligible to sign with another team as soon as 4:01 PM EST today.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 7, 2019
But, no, he would *not* be eligible to play for another team that has a game tomorrow. By Week 2, yes.