The past few months have been a whirlwind for Trent Brown. He won a Super Bowl as the starting left tackle for the Patriots and then became the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Those are two pretty big boxes to check.
The towering mammoth tackle has the confidence to match. he shrugged at the notion that his accomplishment was unexpected, and with a cool, calm confidence said simple “I always believed it about myself.”
As a former 7th round pick, he said he never doubted his abilities or his right to earn top dollar at the NFL level. Even though he’s switching from left back to right tackle for the Raiders — the side of the line that typically sees the best pass rushers; “I mean, when you’re paying those guys across the ball that type of money, you got to pay us to stop them. It’s just, it’s only right.”
All right, fair enough. So, he’s got his ring, he’s got his money. Where does he go from here? Well, he hopes to stack those boxes.
“I want more,” said Brown. “I feel like people think I’ll get the money and then just become lazy but no, I want another huge contract. I want more rings. You know what I mean? I want more of everything. I’m thirsty for it.”
The 26-year-old came a long way to get to this point and he wears that fact like a badge. He stood at the podium Sunday in Napa wearing a shirt of his own design. The logo means TB77 — his initials and number — which he calls the Greatest Underdog.
“I just feel like I’ve been put on the back burner my whole life,” Brown continued. “Me, just from being a seventh round draft pick to now. And even through the process, people try to dim my light. This is my shirt right here. ‘TB77’, greatest underdog. It explains itself. Greatest underdog. I was drafted in the seventh round and now I’m the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history. You know what I mean, that’s a testament to the work and just the way I go about my everyday life, how I treat people and how I sow good seeds and I’m reaping the harvest of my everyday work.”
Some players talk a big game. They act confident, but it’s a thin veneer and the words don’t ring true. Brown talks of his father and how he was a man of few words. But he made those words count. That’s the feel you get from the 6-8, 380-pounder. A seeming gentle giant. But not when it comes to getting what he wants. He has earned that. And he isn’t done.
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