Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Martavis Bryant has been the center of the media following some controversial news.
The speedy wide receiver was hoping to have more of an impact after he was reinstated to the NFL this past offseason, but so far, Martavis Bryant has not found is stride in Pittsburgh. As the offense continues to rely on Antonio Brown in the passing game, rumors have emerged that Bryant may want out of the Steel City.
While nothing is certain right now, ESPN’s Ian Rapoport seems to believe Bryant has made it known he’s unhappy. With the lack of productivity through six games, it wouldn’t be surprising if this is true.
It all started with a Rapoport tweet reveling the wideout was not content in Pittsburgh:
Sources: #Steelers playmaking WR Martavis Bryant recently requested a trade. His teammates and coaches are well aware that he’s unhappy.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 16, 2017
This set off a circle of speculation that Martavis Bryant wanted to be traded. The news came after the Steelers had just beaten the Kansas City Chiefs.
Martavis Bryant then responded later that night:
Big win today and tomorrow right back to work tomorrow I am happy to be a steeler and can't wait to reach number 7 this year.
— Martavis Bryant (@martavis1212) October 16, 2017
There was also a report that the Steelers were not interested in trading Martavis Bryant. This would have been a cautionary move as there may not be a huge market for Martavis Bryant considering his troubles with Marijuana. He was suspended last year for the entire year because of failed and missed drug tests.
On the other hand, Bryant has an outstanding talent that mixes elite speed with ideal height. He can make the unbelievable catch and beat the defender deep. Some have thought his upside was around the top of the league. Although he has never reached that level, he has had a knack for the touchdown in the early part of his career.
Some of this is believable because Bryant has struggled this year. In a year where the Steelers were aiming to average thirty points a game, that has not happened. According to Pro Football Reference, Bryant has only caught 17 out of 34 attempts for 231 yards. He has caught only one touchdown. Needless to say, this season has been a disappointment and made the Rapoport tweet seem possible.
Ben Roethlisberger tried to shut down any speculation that there was that Bryant wanted to be traded. He said on 93.7 The Fan that, “Sometimes things come from agents because they want what they think is best for the player and don’t realize that it ends up hurting the player. I don’t know exactly what happened here but I do know that Martavis, there hasn’t been any inklings of unhappiness.”
Next: Moving Martavis Bryant makes sense
It seems the Rapoport tweet was either speculation or from a false source because the team seemed to deny right away that Bryant wanted to be traded. Bryant’s tweet further proves that. However, there is a possibility that the team is trying to cover up Bryant’s unhappiness because they do not want to trade him. Either way, he will probably be a Steeler for the next two seasons.