Martavis Bryant has requested a trade from the team

[Shoes]

It might be wise to keep giving him opportunities.

If he and Ben can get on the same page by the playoffs, we could be hard to stop.

And if Bryant finishes as strong as he is capable of, it would likely add a lot to his trade value...or we just keep him.

Agreed!

[tube517]

At this point. C. seems to fit right in with that locker room.

And I don't think Ben was being sarcastic either. He was emotionally depleted and thinking out loud. I look forward to hearing the next stupid thing he has to say on his radio show.

- - - Updated - - -

That said, I'd trade him for Carmelo Anthony.

Close!! He's going to Golden State. LOL

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=2...454671636939-4

Several Steelers players were having fun with Martavis Bryant rumors in the locker room, saying he's getting traded to the Golden State Warriors.

[Mojouw]

Close!! He's going to Golden State. LOL

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=2...454671636939-4

But....But...But....I thought he was a worthless, selfish player whose toxic outlook was dividing the locker room and sending the team into disarray.

[DesertSteel]

But....But...But....I thought he was a worthless, selfish player whose toxic outlook was dividing the locker room and sending the team into disarray.

Nobody ever said he was worthless... just selfish and toxic

[j-d-s]

Who cares? Bryant is under contract until 2019 so it doesn't really matter what he wants or doesn't want.

This.Guy should be thankful that he even still has a contract.

[Rotorhead]

The only way I would trade him would be for a 2nd rnd pick (not going to happen) so we can bundle our 2 2nd's and a first to get Ben's replacement in next years draft.

[AtlantaDan]

Post-Gazette finally gets around to reporting on Bryant trade request. Either the P-G sat on the story because they did not want to upset the Steelers (a problem with local reporters who can get frozen out of their only beat) or more likely they simply did not want to find out what was going on with Bryant.

While Bryant denied on Monday that he requested a trade, either he or his representatives or some combination did just that two weeks ago, the Post-Gazette has confirmed....

There probably was no coincidence that the news surfaced after the Steelers’ 19-13 victory in Kansas City in which Bryant played less than he has all season.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201710160183

In his online chat Ray Fittipaldo points to the agent as the source for the story

Ray Fittipaldo:Bryant tweeted last night that he is happy to be a Steeler, but the trade request was put in by his agent two weeks ago....

It did happen. He is apparently unhappy with his usage in the offense. I've asked him point blank about his snaps in recent weeks and he's always said the right things. I guess his agent thought the right time to leak the information was after the Steelers' biggest win of the season.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201710160155

Sounds like more than some random grousing about getting more touches

Unfortunately this likely is setting up a Bryant relapse that ends his career if he broods about not getting what he wants

[Psycho Ward 86]

Post-Gazette finally gets around to reporting on Bryant trade request. Either the P-G sat on the story because they did not want to upset the Steelers (a problem with local reporters who can get frozen out of their only beat) or more likely they simply did not want to find out what was going on with Bryant.

While Bryant denied on Monday that he requested a trade, either he or his representatives or some combination did just that two weeks ago, the Post-Gazette has confirmed....

There probably was no coincidence that the news surfaced after the Steelers’ 19-13 victory in Kansas City in which Bryant played less than he has all season.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201710160183

In his online chat Ray Fittipaldo points to the agent as the source for the story

Ray Fittipaldo:Bryant tweeted last night that he is happy to be a Steeler, but the trade request was put in by his agent two weeks ago....

It did happen. He is apparently unhappy with his usage in the offense. I've asked him point blank about his snaps in recent weeks and he's always said the right things. I guess his agent thought the right time to leak the information was after the Steelers' biggest win of the season.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201710160155

Sounds like more than some random grousing about getting more touches

Unfortunately this likely is setting up a Bryant relapse that ends his career if he broods about not getting what he wants

Well then I hope if he's still unhappy by years end that he finishes on a blistering high note to up that trade value

[AtlantaDan]

Well then I hope if he's still unhappy by years end that he finishes on a blistering high note to up that trade value

Dale Lolley has an interesting story on how the Bryant story allegedly was generated and how the sausage gets made when these sorts of rumors get published by national sites

A look inside the Bryant rumor

Last week, news broke that San Francisco linebacker Navarro Bowman had asked the 49ers for a trade.

A day later, he had been released after San Francisco couldn’t find a suitable offer and decided to cut bait with a player that didn’t want to be part of yet another rebuilding process.

Don’t think for a second that didn’t precipitate the news that broke Sunday night that receiver Martavis Bryant’s agent didn’t have that in mind when he leaked out to some choice national media sites that his client had asked the Steelers for a trade. [Lolley wrote that incoherent sentence and I pasted it verbatim]
And you had better believe that is exactly what happened. ...

After Bryant played a season-low 33 snaps and got just three targets that were turned into two catches in Sunday’s win against Kansas City, the bet here is that his agent, Tom Santanello, sprung into action.

After seeing Bowman get set free by the 49ers, you can bet the lightbulb went off in Santanello’s head. He could float the rumor that Bryant had asked for a trade and perhaps either get the ball rolling on that or get the Steelers to release his client to become a free agent.

That could be especially lucrative considering some of the injuries at the receiver position and how many teams just don’t have anyone at the position.

That might work in San Francisco. It wasn’t going to work in Pittsburgh.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/201...3o1f6o.twitter


So was a trade actually requested two weeks ago or is Bryant's agent just shopping a story that a trade was requested two weeks ago after he saw Bowman get released after demanding a trade last week

After reading this, it might also explain agents as the sources of stories about post-Chicago anthem turmoil in the Steelers locker room so the players can maintain plausible deniability

[SteelMayhem72]

Way to force that into the conversation. But I thought we all just wanted to talk football and leave the politics behind? Isn't this supposed to be a break from the media driven stories and the cares of the world?

Driving home my point on just how dumb and clueless some of the players are...no need to point the anthem talk to the other thread...it was to make my point. Bryant is an idiot, plain and simple and I think we will never see his full potential because of his decision making. Requesting a trade after being suspended for a year is what kind of person we are dealing with...my bet, he will relapse cause I dont think he can handle it.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

[st33lersguy]

The usual concern is a player quits playing hard after he gets the big contract/signing bonus, not before - if Bryant plans to stay in the NFL past 2018 and get any kind of major multi-year deal he needs to perform given the obvious risk that will go with signing him for a serious bonus

Yep, then there's the Mike Wallace method of dogging it during the contract year and relying on previous productive years to get a big payday

[BlackAndGold]

Bryant isn't going to get the payday he wants Imo.

One more suspension, he is done.

[steelreserve]

The "trade demand to get a release" actually makes a lot of sense given Bryant's contract situation. IIRC, by being suspended for a full season, he got an extra year tacked on to his rookie contract. So being released outright wipes the slate clean, and even if he only signs a small deal for the remainder of this season, he's free to go for a much bigger one in the offseason. If he were to go to the Giants or some other injury-decimated squad and show that he has even ok ability left, that could net him a $5M deal somewhere easily, maybe more. Sure beats the hell out of $500K.

Then when the team didn't bite, it was simple enough to backtrack, and no harm done because he's already known as a basket case and his cheap contract makes him too valuable per dollar to just dump out of spite.

[DesertSteel]

The "I" did not request a trade is true since he knows it was his agent that made the request. This has been confirmed by the beat writers.

[tube517]

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/10...t-want-traded/

Roethlisberger Takes Shot At Rapoport; Says Bryant Doesn’t Want To Be Traded

[Mach1]

Bryant: 'Everything is good'

Crushing rumors: The atmosphere in the Steelers locker room on Monday afternoon was exactly what it should be coming off a big win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Guys were joking around, laughing, and some even grabbed ‘courtside seats’ to watch a competitive game of ‘trash can’ basketball.

There was no drama, no distractions, despite the best attempt of some who tried to stir things up via Twitter with a ‘report’ from ‘sources’ that Martavis Bryant has asked for a trade. And yes, it came from the same individual who said Ben Roethlisberger was going to ask for a trade back in 2013.

“No, I am good to go,” said Bryant when directly asked if he requested a trade. “I clarified it last night on my Twitter. I am happy to be here. As far as me getting traded, I would like to get traded to the (Golden State) Warriors.

“Everything is good. I am going to keep on moving and just get better for this week.”

His teammates chimed in too, ready to talk trade in a fun, good-natured way. Basketball trade that is.

“I thought he was talking about getting traded to the (Cleveland) Cavs,” said Ramon Foster. “I thought he wanted to switch sports. I thought he was talking about basketball.

“We are not going to feed into it any more. It’s over. We crushed that. That is done. He cleared it up. We are good.”

The report of the trade request came while the team was flying back from Kansas City, and just like everyone else, they got alerts about it too.

“We all died laughing,” said Pouncey, who joked he was being traded to the Dolphin for his twin brother Mike Pouncey. “We thought it was funny.”

http://www.steelers.com/news/article...1-f2a65e08c45c

[AtlantaDan]

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/10...t-want-traded/

Roethlisberger Takes Shot At Rapoport; Says Bryant Doesn’t Want To Be Traded

The Tuesday morning radio appearance continues to deliver the goods

Ben also fires away at the agent and the girlfriend

“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....

Roethlisberger was then asked about the Sunday night tweets from Bryant’s girlfriend that have since been deleted that seemed to support the idea that the wide receiver wants out of Pittsburgh.

“Yeah, and I cant speak on that behalf,” Roethlisberger started. “Obviously, we landed [Sunday night] and we all saw that and I don’t know if it’s one of those things where at home you’ve got a bunch of people that are saying ‘Why aren’t you getting the ball? Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do that?’ Almost just kind of gassing him up if you will."

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/10...t-want-traded/

After all that Ben's agent did to clean up his Reno and Milledgeville messes, pretty cold to call out agents for not realizing they sometime take actions that hurt their clients

[DesertSteel]

After all that Ben's agent did to clean up his Reno and Milledgeville messes, pretty cold to call out agents for not realizing they sometime take actions that hurt their clients

Especially since we know that all agents are fine and upstanding specimens.

[AtlantaDan]

Especially since we know that all agents are fine and upstanding specimens.

Not every part of the ecosystem is warm and cuddly

[cubanstogie]

I would trade him to Denver or Giants, or some other team decimated by injuries at the WR position. 4th rounder would be fine. To me his stock has dropped way down from initial burst he had. He is a dime a dozen reciever IMO. I think we all want to like him because he is 6'4 but in reality its not like he has been any good in red zone. Occasional big play is what you get. Hands slightly better than Heyward Beys. Hunter has same size I say give him some touches. With AB, JuJu and Eli , Martavis will never get the touches he thinks he deserves. Not to mention Bell. We can be back to a running team. Martavis will never be the number one priority. Number three at best.

[teegre]

I would trade him to Denver or Giants, or some other team decimated by injuries at the WR position. 4th rounder would be fine. To me his stock has dropped way down from initial burst he had. He is a dime a dozen reciever IMO. I think we all want to like him because he is 6'4 but in reality its not like he has been any good in red zone. Occasional big play is what you get. Hands slightly better than Heyward Beys. Hunter has same size I say give him some touches. With AB, JuJu and Eli , Martavis will never get the touches he thinks he deserves. Not to mention Bell. We can be back to a running team. Martavis will never be the number one priority. Number three at best.

That said... prior to his suspension, he absolutely was a #1. He had something like 17 TDs in 15 games played, plus the offense was 10 ppg better when he played in those games (10 ppg is HUGE).

IMO, it worth the risk to keep him and hope that that receiver returns... unless we can get a R2 pick (or better) for him.

[Born2Steel]

That said... prior to his suspension, he absolutely was a #1. He had something like 17 TDs in 15 games played, plus the offense was 10 ppg better when he played in those games (10 ppg is HUGE).

IMO, it worth the risk to keep him and hope that that receiver returns... unless we can get a R2 pick (or better) for him.

A Giants #1 or #2 could be HUGE next draft. I say make the phone call/email/whatever.

[cubanstogie]

That said... prior to his suspension, he absolutely was a #1. He had something like 17 TDs in 15 games played, plus the offense was 10 ppg better when he played in those games (10 ppg is HUGE).

IMO, it worth the risk to keep him and hope that that receiver returns... unless we can get a R2 pick (or better) for him.

I would be shocked if someone gave up second round pick, happy but shocked. Granted I'm not at practice and don't see the whole picture but I have basically given up hope that he is going to be the player he is capable of. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, I just don't have faith this guy will turn his life and attitude around. Ju Ju is going to be much better than Martavis. He is a football player, Martavis is just a freakish athlete IMO. Part of me also wants the Steelers to get back to the class organization in the NFL, which they used to be. Lately it seems they are no different the Bengals,Ravens, or Raiders. I know the guy is capable of being like Julio Jones , or AJ Green physically , but when I read he asked for trade I said good riddance.

[DesertSteel]

Well at least the Randy Moss comparisons have stopped for a while.......... I'd be happy if they started back up. But IMO:

AB is to Jerry Rice
what MB is not to Randy Moss

[AtlantaDan]

I would be shocked if someone gave up second round pick, happy but shocked.

Gerry Dulac of the P-G agrees

Gerry Dulac: Players who have been suspended for an entire season and are one more strike for another suspension at least that long do not command high draft choices in a trade.

More from Dulac on the agent's shennanigans

Gerry Dulac: It is not out of the realm of possibility for an agent to contact a team representative -- whether the negotiator or GM -- and plant the seed his/her client wants to be traded. It is very much within the realm of possibility for an agent, considering all the circumstances surrounding this particular client, to be stupid enough to do so.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201710180110

When Bryant was waiting for authorization to practice this summer my guess was the delay was at least in part due to Bryant's agent failing to get the paperwork to the league office ASAP regarding how Bryant had set up local support/drug counseling in Pittsburgh.

After this latest cluster maybe Bryant or his girlfriend should shop for a new agent? Perhaps post something on Craigslist.

[86WARD]

A Giants #1 or #2 could be HUGE next draft. I say make the phone call/email/whatever.

No one is giving up a #1 or #2 for Bryant and definitely not the Giants. Not a chance for several reasons but most importantly, they’ll be able to draft Manning’s replacement this year with the number one pick and then get a good WR or RB with no baggage, no drug history, clean NFL record, etc. Basically, they’re eliminated from any playoff run, why would they give up their future for Bryant...who may or may not sign there when his deal is up.

Best you might get for him is a 4th round pick from someone looking to rent a player that is making a playoff run...like KC...you’re also selling him at the lowest possible value. It’s not like he’s been tearing up the league lately...

[AtlantaDan]

Best you might get for him is a 4th round pick from someone looking to rent a player that is making a playoff run...like KC...you’re also selling him at the lowest possible value. It’s not like he’s been tearing up the league lately...

I doubt Steelers would trade him within the AFC to any contender for a bag of donuts and then possibly have him burn them in playoff game

[DesertSteel]

Steelers won't trade him for the same reason they didn't cut him after the suspension: he's costing them next to nothing!! They'd be fools to let him go and they aren't the Browns.

[pczach]

He's under contract for a very reasonable price. Yes, he was suspended for an entire year and he is one strike away from being out of the NFL, but he is a talented player that didn't play football for an entire year and has changed his body a bit.

If he plays hard and gives great effort, the results are going to come. He will adjust to his body as the year goes on, and the game will come to him more easily.

They are just starting to show signs of breaking out offensively. You don't jettison your #2 receiver and best big play threat mid-season. He's a bargain if he gets his shit together, and could be the reason the offense goes off the second half of the year and into the playoffs.

I just don't see it happening this season. Things would have to become a total shit show for that to happen IMO.

[Count Steeler]

He is also not on drugs anymore. I'm sure his game perception needs to come around.