If you thought the drama between Martavis Bryant and the Pittsburgh Steelers would get swept under the rug, think again.
Martavis Bryant did not show up for required steelers meetings monday. "Called in sick" one teammate said
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) October 23, 2017
Bryant has already requested to be traded from the Steelers and it seems like he’s perfectly happy to be “sick” until that trade goes through.
When the report first came out about Bryant requesting a trade, I didn’t think anything of it because trades don’t really happen in the NFL, especially not big time skill position guys. Of course, this season has proven to be the exact opposite with Brandin Cooks, Sammy Watkins and Jordan Matthews getting traded this offseason and Adrian Peterson getting shipped off to Arizona just two weeks ago.
Now it might be Martavis Bryant’s turn.
So, if he is traded, where would be the best landing spot for Bryant’s fantasy value? I mean, it’s not like there aren’t teams out there that could use a 6-foot-5, 25 year old receiver who runs a 4.40 40-yard dash and makes catches like this. Teams will be willing to take him off the Steelers hands.
Here are five teams I’d love to see trade for Bryant:
Buffalo Bills
Easy team to start with. Jordan Matthews has been injured, Zay Jones has underwhelmed and the Bills’ passing attack clearly is missing the speed and big play ability of Sammy Watkins. Bryant would move to an offense where he would be the star in the passing game and would be an explosive weapon to pair with LeSean McCoy. Plus, added bonus: it would boost Tyrod Taylor’s fantasy value so win-win.
Seattle Seahawks
The Steelers might not negotiate in talks with an AFC team with a winning record but they would have no problem sending Bryant to the NFC and by golly could the Seahawks use a receiver like Bryant. Just imagine pairing Bryant with Jimmy Graham and how much space the two of them would open up for Doug Baldwin to work in underneath. Imagine the two of them in the red zone. Like, who would you cover? They’re both towering monsters and defenses would have to pick their poison. I’m starting to talk myself into rooting for this trade.
New York Giants
I mean, duh. The Giants currently don’t have wide receivers so anyone who they could get their hands on would be great for them. That being said, what would Bryant’s long-term status be with the Giants? Would the Giants really want to make moves for a wide receiver that’s complaining about not getting the targets he wants and pair him with the sixth most targeted receiver since 2014? I don’t know. The trade makes sense in theory but I’m not sure it does in practice.
Chicago Bears
I mean, double duh. The Bears’ leading receiver in both targets and catches is rookie running back Tarik Cohen. Next? Tight end Zach Miller. The Bears need wide receivers and they need them badly. Bryant would instantly improve that receiving group and give Mitchell Trubisky a legit receiving threat. While there may be a slight drop off from Ben Roethlisberger to Trubisky (though, fire taek alert, are we sure there is?), you can’t pass up the amount of looks Bryant would get in Chicago’s offense. The best kind of tunity is opportunity.
Kansas City Chiefs
This is never going to happen because the Steelers aren’t run by idiots and they’d never make a trade with a contender in the AFC. That being said, imagine how crazy insane this Chiefs’ offense could be adding Bryant to the mix. Outside of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce—both leading the team with 49 targets—the Chiefs are kind of a mixed bag when it comes to receivers. The next most targeted receiver is Kareem Hunt with 27. Adding someone like Bryant would give the Chiefs a big body receiver to win contested balls and take pressure off of Kelce and Hill to carry the passing game. Also Alex Smith has thrown 15 touchdowns and no interceptions. It might be time to put the “Alex Smith is an average quarterback” narrative to bed.
Poll
Where would you love to see Martavis Bryant end up?
This poll is closed
-
16%
Bills
-
11%
Seahawks
-
13%
Giants
-
30%
Bears
-
13%
Chiefs
-
14%
Some other team (leave in comments)