The Raiders released wide receiver Martavis Bryant, a little over four months after trading for the wide receiver, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. They gave up a third-rounder to the Steelers to acquire Bryant, but it didn’t end up working out.
Raiders release WR Martavis Bryant, who is appealing another drug suspension
The Raiders gave up a third-round pick to the Steelers to get the wide receiver in April.
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Bryant is also appealing a drug-related suspension:
Bryant was first suspended in 2015, which cost him the first four games of his second year as a pro. That snowballed into a full-season suspension in 2016 thanks to a second failed test. While he stayed out of trouble long enough to play 15 games last season, his issues returned this offseason to throw his NFL future into doubt.
It was the latest major move for the Raiders before the 53-man roster deadline. They also traded for former Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack to the Bears and traded for backup quarterback AJ McCarron.
What does this mean for the Raiders?
Oakland traded for the fifth-year wideout in hopes of bolstering a top-heavy receiving corps. Amari Cooper is a legitimate WR1, but his supporting cast was limited after the team released Michael Crabtree this offseason.
Bryant was supposed to be a high-yield alternative to Cooper. At 6’4 he’s an athletic end zone target, but his game-breaking speed makes him more than just a red zone threat. He averaged a whopping 21.1 yards per reception and scored eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2014, serving as a home run hitter for the Steelers who thrived when defenses shifted their focus to Antonio Brown. He showed Pro Bowl potential in 2015 after hauling in 50 catches for 765 yards in just 11 games.
But that 2015 season was marred by a substance-abuse suspensions that made him a major question mark on the roster. While he still started the majority of his season with Pittsburgh last fall, he slid behind rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster in the team’s pecking order and became expendable — and didn’t hide his desire to be traded.
That’s where the Raiders jumped in, hoping to unlock that 2015 potential over the course of a full season. New head coach Jon Gruden worked to rebuild the Oakland roster in his image, and Bryant was expected to play a major role in that — the Salieri to Cooper’s Mozart for quarterback Derek Carr. Instead, he’ll have to hope Jordy Nelson has enough left in the tank to be the versatile target the Raiders will need to diversify their offense in 2018.
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