{"id":32646,"date":"2017-10-24T08:32:16","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T12:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=32646"},"modified":"2017-10-25T13:30:38","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T17:30:38","slug":"martivis-bryant-no-show-at-pittsburgh-steelers-facility-on-monday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/10\/24\/martivis-bryant-no-show-at-pittsburgh-steelers-facility-on-monday\/","title":{"rendered":"Martavis Bryant No Show at Pittsburgh Steelers Facility on Monday"},"content":{"rendered":"

If actions speak louder than words, Martavis Bryant<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s making it clear to the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that he wants to be traded. On Monday Bryant was a no show at team meetings. According to his agent, Thomas Santanello<\/strong>, Bryant went to a doctor Monday morning and did not report the Steelers facility. His absence only lends credence to trade speculation that started two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Martavis Bryant No Show at Pittsburgh Steelers Facility on Monday<\/h1>\n

In The Beginning…<\/h3>\n

Rumors started swirling <\/a>two weeks ago over whether Bryant wants to be traded from the five and two Steelers. While speculation has run rampant. Last week, after the Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, <\/strong>19-13, <\/b>Bryant’s\u00a0girlfriend mentioned a trade on social media.\u00a0<\/b>He quickly got on social media and dispelled the trade rumors. Now this week, Bryant\u2019s behavior has become more erratic.<\/p>\n

Chapter Two<\/h3>\n

After the Steelers week seven win against the Cincinnati Bengals<\/strong><\/a> the rumors started again. ESPN reported<\/a> that a source close to Bryant said, \u201cHe wants out, point blank.\u201d Then Bryant himself seemed to pour gas on the fire. In a late-night Instagram post he urged the Steelers front office to \u201cgive me what I want.\u201d Bryant\u2019s Instagram post is now deleted. But \u00a0Bryant responded to a fan that claimed\u00a0JuJu Smith-Schuster<\/a><\/strong> was better than him. He replied to the fan by saying \u201cJuJu (Smith-Schuster) is no where near better than me, fool,” then continued, “All they need to do is give me what I want and y’all can have JuJu and whoever else.”<\/p>\n

This is not the first time that Bryant has taken to social media to comment on Smith-Schuster. When the Steelers drafted Smith-Schuster in the second round of this year\u2019s draft Bryant tweeted<\/a> \u201clol that’s Sammie Coates replacement not minds take it how you want to I am back.\u201d (Tweet since deleted, but reactions not.) That prediction did turn out to be true.\u00a0Sammie Coates<\/a><\/strong> is no longer with the Steelers, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns<\/strong><\/a> before the 2017 season.<\/p>\n

Why Bryant is Upset<\/h3>\n

There is a case to be made for why Bryant is frustrated, but these types of situations should be handled behind closed doors, not on social media. The way he’s currently handling the situation makes Bryant look immature and easily irritated. \u00a0Not to mention a negative locker room presence. Bryant has been one of the best deep threats in the league when he\u2019s on the field. But Ben Roethlisberger<\/a><\/strong> has a league low completion percentage on deep passes. That is, passes that travel more than 20 yards in the air. This is the polar opposite of Roethlisberger\u2019s 2016 season (which Bryant missed) when he led the league in deep passing touchdowns. Also, between\u00a0Le\u2019Veon Bell<\/strong>‘s\u00a030 plus rushing attempts per game, and Antonio Brown<\/a><\/strong>‘s 10 or more targets. It’s fair to say that Bryant has been essentially been relegated to a second tier option in the offense.<\/p>\n

The Stats<\/h3>\n

In week seven Bryant opened up the game on a reverse where he gained two yards. It seemed like the Steelers were committed to working him into the game plan. But it didn\u2019t happen. He finished with one reception for three yards and was only targeted twice. The week before, against the then undefeated Chiefs, Bryant had two receptions for 27 yards on three targets. Obviously, five targets in two weeks are not enough for a player of Bryant\u2019s caliber.<\/p>\n

Issues With Trading Bryant<\/h3>\n

Even though he still has two years on his rookie contract, any team trading for him would be taking a major risk. Bryant is scheduled to make $724,805 in 2017 and $705,000 in 2018. This ordeal involving Bryant demanding a trade makes him look like a negative locker room influence. Then there\u2019s the fact that Bryant is one failed drug test away from being kicked out of the NFL.<\/p>\n

With all of that taken into account it\u2019s hard to gauge what exactly his market value would be. The New Orleans Saints<\/strong><\/a> traded Adrian Peterson<\/a><\/strong>, arguably the best running back of the last decade, to the Arizona Cardinals<\/strong> <\/a>for a conditional draft pick. Would any team really be willing to take on all of the baggage that would come with acquiring Bryant from the Steelers? What would the Steelers asking price be if they traded Bryant? If the Steelers and Bryant do decide to part ways, the Steelers would take a $109,805 dead money hit against next season\u2019s salary cap.<\/p>\n

Main Image:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>