Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he wasn’t looking to get rid of receiver Martavis Bryant, but the Raiders were looking to acquire Bryant, and in the end the Steelers liked what the Raiders were offering too much to pass it up.
Tomlin said that he didn’t have a problem with Bryant, who has had substance-abuse issues and complained at times about his role in the offense. Instead, Tomlin says, it was just about getting better with a third-round pick from Oakland.
“More than anything, they were persistent in the pursuit of him and the value got to a level we couldn’t pass up. Martavis is going into the last year of his contract and to get a third-round pick we felt good about that,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin’s reasoning makes sense: Bryant will be able to hit free agency next year and could have left anyway, so it’s actually a little surprising the Raiders were so eager to acquire him. The Steelers have to feel like they got a great deal.