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The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly received calls from several teams inquiring about the availability of wide receiver Martavis Bryant. While the Steelers have not been actively shopping Bryant, they are at least listening to those teams’ potential deals for him, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Bryant requested a trade from the Steelers last season, a request which the team did not heed. But then, Bryant supposedly had a sudden change of heart in the playoffs and wanted to stay. But now, the Steelers are apparently the ones that have changed their minds and are least open to the idea of moving on from the mercurial receiver this offseason.
Bryant made his return to the field in 2017 after missing the entire 2016 season due to suspension for violations of the league’s substance abuse policy. He didn’t have the greatest year, though, as he had just 50 catches for 603 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. He was thoroughly outplayed by rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was able to supplant him as the team’s No. 2 wideout opposite Antonio Brown.
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While Bryant already has a lot of baggage in just four years in the league, it’s understandable why he would still be in high demand. In the three seasons he’s played, he’s shown enough flashes of being a potential game-changing, big-play receiver. He's got the type of talent that teams would still gladly take a chance on him to see if he can ever overcome his issues and get it together.
That potential was likely a significant factor why Pittsburgh decided not to follow through with Bryant’s request for a trade during last season. But with Smith-Schuster’s sudden emergence, Bryant suddenly becomes much more expendable to the Steelers moving forward. If they can get a good enough offer for Bryant this offseason, they likely won’t hesitate to finally move on from him.
