Rumors have surrounded Martavis Bryant over the past few weeks, but the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver finally made his feelings clear.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the wideout said on SportsCenter that he is prepared to leave as a free agent following the 2018 season unless his role in the offense changes. Fowler notes Bryant cited the need to support his family.
There’s no question 2017 has been a frustrating year for Bryant.
After returning from a full-season suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, Bryant has mustered 18 catches for 234 yards and one touchdown.
In Week 7, for example, he took a reverse on Pittsburgh’s first snap and gained two yards, then managed one catch for three yards for the rest of the game. Bryant is shifting into a complementary role, and he’s not a fan.
Bryant previously denied a report about an earlier trade request, which we now see wasn’t totally true. He also took a shot at rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Instagram and recently didn’t show up for required team meetings.
It’s worth noting that 2018 is not guaranteed in Bryant’s contract, according to Over the Cap. The Steelers could cut the receiver after this season and give Smith-Schuster a larger role.
Bryant’s days in Pittsburgh are clearly numbered, and the term might be shorter than he acknowledged.