Pittsburgh Steelers: Martavis Bryant trade was inevitable

After four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Martavis Bryant now finds himself playing for the Oakland Raiders, though the trade wasn’t a surprise.

The saga between Martavis Bryant and the Pittsburgh Steelers has finally been put to rest. After a long offseason of the Steelers publicly denying attempts to shop Bryant around, news broke during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft that Bryant was dealt to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for the 79th overall pick. Bryant finishes his career in Pittsburgh only playing 36 games in four seasons with the team, accounting for 126 receptions, 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Bryant, selected out of Clemson in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, displayed a great deal of promise within his first few seasons with the Steelers. Many expected Bryant and Antonio Brown to become the best wideout duo in the league, yet the hype never truly lived up to its potential. Bryant has struggled with drops since his days in college, and suspensions due to failing drug tests pro-longed what could have been a phenomenal career for Bryant.

Earlier in the 2017, Bryant took to social media to re-assure his commitment to the team after a season full of drama, which included Snapchat clips of him talking about him never getting the ball and his infamous Instagram tirade on his now-replacement JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Despite the attempts by Bryant to paint a happy aura between him and Pittsburgh, many knew the relationship was toxic and had to end. Bryant wanted a fresh start with a new team, as he was tired of living in the shadows of Brown and was discontent with Smith-Schuster taking over the number two spot.

Bryant now finds himself in Oakland with a surrounding cast of Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson. His role on the team is expected to mirror the role he had with Pittsburgh, which was to maximize his speed and take the top off defenses (somewhere Al Davis is smiling). Sometimes all a player needs is a change of scenery to turn things around, however the issues Bryant displayed during his time in Pittsburgh seem bigger than just football itself.

He is physically gifted to proportions out of this world. Mentally, however, is what stops him from realizing his potential.

All things considered, the Steelers were more than happy to pull the trigger on this trade. It was evident Pittsburgh wanted to address the wide receiver position on the second day of the draft, and they now have a third round pick to do-so in exchange for a player who is one failed test away from being suspended indefinitely, and rarely contributed to the levels he was expected to.

Next: NFL Draft 2018: Grades for each first-round pick

The split between Bryant and the Steelers was in no way or shape considered ugly. No harsh words by either side, just business on both ends. Bryant finds himself on a new team, and Pittsburgh gets a phenomenal haul in return for a player they were losing to free agency next season. Although the timing of this trade caught most people off-guard, it was only a matter of time before the Steelers parted ways with what could have been.