The Antonio Brown saga in Oakland proves once again that the 'Patriot way' is the best way

When reports surfaced on Thursday that the Oakland Raiders may suspend receiver Antonio Brown for part of the regular season after a heated altercation between Brown and GM Mike Mayock took place earlier in the week, it wasn't much of a surprise. Let's clarify that - the heated altercation was a surprise, but Brown causing more issues because of his selfish motives wasn't.

Oakland is now in a situation where their star-studded offensive talent may be unavailable to start the season, which is unfortunate considering the former Steeler accounts for $15 million of the team's salary cap for the 2019 season. The Raiders are now scrambling to see if they can void Brown's contract guarantees if he is suspended by the team. But either way, the result will be a mess with a lot of broken pieces left over.

The narrative taking place with the new regime in Oakland displays yet another troublesome tactic that has left many teams in shambles in the past.

For many NFL franchises, talent trumps everything else, even if it means having a cancerous locker room. Mayock and head coach John Gruden were supposedly going to stray from that idea when they took over the Raiders organization last offseason. That's why it is a bit confusing that they chose to trade for Brown in the first place and pay him a huge lump sum of cash after he had a falling out with his former team after spending nine years with the Steelers. Their hope was that Brown's play would surpass his other antics that seemingly drove Brown out of Pittsburgh. Little did they know, when you have as big of a personality and you are at the top of your game like Brown is, it was never going to work out that way.

That is why the "Patriot way", which is an organizational structure and mentality put into place by head coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots organization in the early 2000s, has been and will continue to be the best way to handle business in the NFL.

For the past two decades, Belichick has installed the narrative in New England that no single player is more important than his teammates. Rob Gronkowski highlighted that idea recently during a recent episode of HBO's "The Shop" in which he said that no one is "treated like a superstar" on the Patriots. Not even Tom Brady, who is a six-time Super Bowl champion and a future hall of famer. That attitude is reflected by the organization, whether it be during practices, film sessions, games, or when negotiating contracts with players.

It's the same reason why New England refuses to open their checkbook for star-studded talent, whether the player be a person already on the team or a coveted free agent.

Over the years, if New England takes a shot at signing a "bigger" name, it's someone who is not in the prime of their career, and therefore may be humbled by their recent experience on the playing field which would also call for a more modest contract.

The best example of this during Belichick's tenure with the Patriots is when the team traded for HOF receiver Randy Moss back in 2007. Giving up just a 4th round pick to acquire Moss from the Raiders, a condition of the trade was that Moss had to agree to restructure his contract, which had base salaries of $9.75 million in 2017 and $11.25 million in 2008.

Why was Moss so willing to restructure his deal and make less money?

"I've made a lot of money and I still have money in the bank. So by me coming to an organization such as the New England Patriots, why would money be a factor?" Moss said in a conference call back in '07. "I'm still in awe that I'm a part of this organization."

And there lies the "Patriot way".

Understanding a player's intention is key in the process for the Patriots organization. Is the player continuing to play to make money, or do they want to win championships? For Moss, the answer was the latter, which he proved by taking a pay cut.

New England has continued to take this approach with veteran players, which has led to many incentive-ladened contracts as of recent for players like Gronkowski and Tom Brady, both who have earned their crack at a payday, but opted not to do such last offseason for the betterment of the team. It's the same approach that let New England's best pass rusher, Trey Flowers, walk in free agency this offseason and sign a 5-year, $90 million contract with the Detroit Lions. The team-first approach helps with roster construction, and ultimately, more winning seasons for the Patriots.

If Brown was a selfless player and was continuing to play into his 30s because he wanted a Super Bowl ring, then the Raiders wouldn't have had to sign him to a 3-year, $50 million deal when they traded for him this past offseason. But low-and-behold, Oakland is quickly finding out where Brown's motives stand as he now tries to put himself before the team.

I don't want you to misunderstand me here; paying guys like Brown that kind of money is okay and can teams can still succeed by doing such. However, understanding the player who is receiving that kind of money is vital when determining how the remainder of the roster is going to be constructed. Giving a 31 year old wideout an average of $16 million per year isn't the most ideal way to spend your team's salary cap, but if Brown produces while doing it in a team-first manner, the Raiders would have managed just fine. But with a suspension in the works for him, it already looks like Brown won't live up to his pay for the 2019 season, which will have him earning just shy of $15 million.

New England's approach can't be done unless the organization's front office, coaching staff, personnel and players are all on the same page. And as the Raiders have showed recently, some NFL teams still don't get that, which is why the Patriots continue to dominate the league.