Sweet marriage to bitter divorce: A timeline of AB's tenure in Oakland

Antonio Brown's tenure with the Oakland Raiders came to an end Saturday before the mercurial receiver ever played a game for the franchise.

The potential future Hall of Famer spent only six months in the Bay Area, though he was involved in enough drama to last six years. Here is the path AB traveled from sweet marriage with the Raiders to a bitter divorce:

March 9: Traded to Raiders

The Raiders acquired Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a pair of draft picks. They immediately signed him to a three-year, $50-million contract that included $30 million guaranteed. Brown, head coach Jon Gruden, and general manager Mike Mayock were all smiles at the wide receiver's introductory press conference.

"He's as good of a practice football player and works as hard as any football player I've ever seen in my life," Mayock said. "And when we came here, Jon and I talked about finding passionate football players that love the game, that practice hard and play hard, and all I am going to tell you is Raider Nation, we got a little better today and it's all because of the way this guy plays football, Antonio Brown."

July 26: Arrival at training camp

A jovial Brown took a hot-air balloon to training camp in Napa, California. Optimism reigned over Raider Nation as the team began preparations for the new campaign. Oakland was coming off a busy offseason highlighted by the addition of its new star wideout.

Aug. 3: Blisters

A mishap in a cryogenic therapy chamber in France left Brown with frostbite all over his feet and prevented him from practicing early in camp. He visited a foot specialist to accelerate his slow, treacherous recovery. Brown and his blister-riddled soles were in-and-out of camp, though it was later revealed that something else was responsible for his inconsistent attendance.

Aug. 9: 1st helmet grievance

News broke that Brown was filing a grievance against the NFL in an effort to wear the Schutt Air Advantage helmet. His headgear was deemed outdated by the National Operating Committee for Standards and Athletic Equipment and, therefore, unsafe. The gripe led Brown to bolt from camp, as he refused to play in anything other than what he had worn throughout his career. He reportedly went so far as to threaten retirement if he couldn't wear his desired helmet. An arbitrator eventually denied his grievance.

Aug. 19: 2nd helmet grievance

Determined to play in his preferred equipment, Brown filed a second grievance and again tried to defeat the league. This time, he argued that, unlike other NFL veterans, he wasn't given a one-year grace period to phase out his old helmet because his model became banned in 2019. After losing the second grievance, Mayock told reporters it was time for Brown to be either "all-in or all-out" with the Raiders.

Aug. 27: 'Shut up already'

In no mood to make amends with Ben Roethlisberger, Brown tweeted for the quarterback to "shut up already" when his ex-teammate apologized for calling him out last season and tarnishing their relationship. Brown deleted the post, but not before it went viral and brought him even more attention.

Sept. 4: Fined

Brown received written notice that he was being fined for skipping a walk-through without permission from the team. The Raiders were also penalizing Brown $40,000 for missing training camp without authorization. The 31-year-old vented his frustrations on Instagram Live, criticizing his own team for dishing out "hate."

Sept. 5: Confrontation with GM

Brown and Mayock shared a heated confrontation when the former confronted the GM about the fines. Brown apparently threatened to hit Mayock and punted a football before telling him to "fine that." He also reportedly called Mayock a "cracker," though he later denied using that term. The altercation didn't get physical, but the two were separated by Brown's teammates. The Raiders prepared to suspend Brown for the season opener due to the outburst.

Sept. 6: Brown apologizes

With several teammates reportedly by his side, Brown apologized to his fellow players for the latest distraction. The Raiders changed their minds about suspending Brown, and a smiling Gruden told reporters that his Pro Bowl receiver would be in the lineup on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. The new honeymoon didn't last long, though: that evening, Brown published a video on YouTube that contained audio from a phone conversation he and Gruden shared.

"I've been trying to be a Raider since Day 1, I've been f------ working my ass off harder than anyone," Brown told Gruden in one clip. "I don't know why it's a question of me being a Raider. It's like, do you guys want me to be a Raider?"

"Please stop this shit and just play football," Gruden responded. "How hard is that?"

Sept. 7: Released

Hours after publishing the YouTube video, Brown requested his release from the Raiders in an Instagram caption. He also told ESPN's Jeff Darlington that he would refuse to play for the team that used the fines to void the guaranteed money in his contract.

"No way I play after they took that and made my contract week-to-week," he wrote to the reporter.

A couple of hours later, Brown's tenure in Oakland officially ended as the Raiders announced his release.

After posting 837 receptions for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns over nine seasons with the Steelers, Brown registered 0, 0, and 0 with the Raiders.