3 players the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on way too soon
For one of the winningest franchises in NFL history, regrets are certainly not the most common. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had more success than just about any other NFL franchise over the last four or five decades, and they are one of the most successful and well-run organizations in American professional sports history.
But everyone has a few regrets every now and again.
There are a few players, especially within the last 10 or so years, that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on way too soon. These may not be the three most striking examples in franchise history, but looking back over the last 10 years, these names stand out.
3 players the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on way too soon
1. Martavis Bryant, wide receiver
You could make a pretty valid argument that the Pittsburgh Steelers actually held on to Martavis Bryant for the appropriate amount of time. The Steelers used a fourth-round pick on the ultra-talented wide receiver out of Clemson back in the 2014 NFL Draft. At Clemson, Bryant was surrounded by a bunch of absolute studs at the wide receiver position including the likes of Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins, both future first-round NFL Draft picks.
After biding his time for two seasons, he finally had a major breakthrough in year three where he caught 42 passes for 828 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging almost 20 yards per reception and showing off his big-play abilities.
As they have made a common practice of doing for over a decade now, the Steelers drafted Bryant with a low-risk fourth-round pick and he proved to be a great value pick almost right away, catching 14 touchdown passes in his first two NFL seasons while averaging over 17 yards per catch.
Unfortunately, after already getting suspended by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy, Bryant would be suspended for the entire 2016 season. At the time, the report was that Bryant was not dealing with a “partying” issue but a “coping and depression” issue. Which makes the league’s handling of his situation all the more staggering.
Bryant returned for the 2017 season and caught 50 passes for over 600 yards. In the 2018 offseason, however, the Steelers traded Bryant to the Raiders for a third-round pick and decided to rid themselves of the apparent headache he was causing them. By December of 2018, the NFL had suspended Bryant yet again for violating the terms of his reinstatement.
Despite applying for reinstatement in 2019, he hasn’t played another NFL down since that season. This is a player who likely could have been one of the best receivers in the NFL over the last 10 years. Now 31 years old, Bryant is playing for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL.